Common Sense
by AeroJester203
Summary: At one point, they were feared. And then they were a joke. But what if we turned back the clock and had them be the villains that wouldn't be an embarrassment to villains everywhere? One young child and his Pikachu starting their journey will find out. AU with Competent!Team Rocket. Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1: Starting With a Bang!

**Well, out of all the fandoms, Pokémon seems to be my muse's bread and butter. I suppose you could also call this the foil (as in, contrast) to the A New Life AU. I don't know exactly how long I'll be running this fanfiction. By the series' length, I'm guessing this will easily be my longest story yet. I'm sure I'll figure out where to end it as I go along, but it'll be a doozy. Regardless, I've waffled enough on the subject.**

 **EDIT: I went back and did some reformatting to neaten up the chapter at a reader's recommendation.**

 **So, without further ado, to quote one of my favorite authors: Hobey-ho, let's go.**

* * *

Chapter 1: Starting With a Bang!

Night had long since fallen over Viridian City. While it seemed to be peaceful, the city was actually in a state of alarm.

Earlier that evening, there was an alert put out to be on the watch for Pokémon thieves. With that being said, the citizens had stayed indoors and kept their Pokémon close. Lucky for them, it wasn't the residences that were being targeted.

A small group of agents from the crime syndicate known as Team Rocket had decided the Pokémon Center to be their target. Breaking in was simple enough, they even managed to cut the power. However, the agents met some unexpected resistance in a young boy that happened to be there to have his Pikachu treated. Not only was the Electric-type stronger than anticipated, but the electricity triggered a chain reaction.

With a massive explosion, the Pokémon Center's roof was blown to pieces and the agents were forced to retreat under the cover of the smoke and darkness before the police arrived.

Now the trio was climbing up a rope to a hot air balloon shaped like the Scratch Cat Pokémon, Meowth. In the light of the moon, their appearance was revealed.

The one in the middle of the rope was a girl who appeared to be in her late teens with long magenta hair styled back into a single long curl that reached all the way down to her waist. On the lowest point was a boy appearing to be the same age with blue hair that was somewhat long, reaching down to his chin in length. Both of them wore white uniforms with black undershirts and a purple belt with purple gloves and boots. A red "R" was also printed on their shirts, showing their affiliation with Team Rocket.

The third one, highest up on the rope, was the same Pokémon that the balloon was modeled after. A Meowth hung onto the rope as well and all three of them were covered in burns, both from being shocked and from traces of the resulting explosion.

As they continued climbing up to reach the basket of their balloon, the girl scoffed, "Great! A cat losing to a mouse!"

The Meowth spoke up, defending himself, "That Pikachu is no ordinary Pikachu!"

"It's certainly very rare," the boy said, "a perfect prize!"

"Let's catch it!" the girl shouted.

Meowth grinned, "Perhaps we will."

Unfortunately for them, a tear and hissing sound cut into their plans, since a hole in the hot air balloon caused it to spiral out of control towards the horizon.

Luckily, Meowth managed to sink his claws into the rope and the two other agents clung to the rope, able to hang on thanks to the physical training that came with joining Team Rocket. The three of them hung on, screaming as the balloon flew haphazardly towards the west, near Route 22, which led to the Indigo Plateau. Soon, the balloon didn't have enough air to keep flying and started a rapid descent towards the ground.

"There!" the boy called. "The trees!"

Once they were over the trees and at a reasonable height where the fall wouldn't break anything, they let go of the rope and grabbed onto the branches to catch themselves. Soon after, the balloon crashed nearby, the basket skidding on the ground, but not toppling over due to the weight of their supplies inside keeping it grounded. The trio dropped down from the trees as the last bits of air went out of their balloon.

"My beautiful face…" Meowth lamented.

The girl was fixing her hair with a brush that she kept in her pocket as she looked in a compact from the same place, "Get over yourself. James, you're the one that's best at sewing. Fix it."

James huffed and muttered, "It's _weaving_ , Jessie, and _then_ sewing the fabric back." Regardless, he made his way to the basket, retrieving his travel-friendly crafts kit. Stepping over the fabric of the balloon, he turned the cloth over before finding the hole in the balloon. Taking a roll of beige nylon string along with a same colored reinforced string, James set them into a simple frame loom that was fixed to the inside of the kit's lid and got to work.

Jessie and Meowth lingered nearby, but they knew that it would take at least an hour-and-a-half for James to make the reinforced patch to sew into the balloon. And that was without having to re-inflate it.

"As soon as the balloon's fixed and inflated, we're going after that twerp's Pikachu," Jessie stated as she finished styling her hair and put the brush back in her pocket before reapplying her make up with the powder puff.

"Just going to cut in here," James said without looking up from setting up the threads on the loom, "If we couldn't beat that Pikachu before, what makes you think we can do it the next morning?"

Meowth spoke up, "Ya got outnumbered by the other Pikachu, and the twoip Trainer souped up his Pikachu with more electricity. He won't have back-up now; it'll be a piece o' cake!"

Jessie, however, thought about it as she finished applying the powder and then took out her lipstick. Speaking up, she commented, "No, James is right. We have Rocket-masked Poké Balls for a reason."

James stopped weaving a bit before resuming. Since Jessie was mentioning the masked Poké Balls, it meant that they were going to increase their numbers instead of training. These Poké Balls operated on a private system owned by Team Rocket. As such, they were unable to be tracked by the Pokémon League. It was how Team Rocket agents could use Pokémon despite not having Trainer licenses.

"Ya gonna go catch another Pokémon?" Meowth asked with a raised eyebrow.

Jessie made sure her lipstick was applied before closing the compact and looking down at Meowth. " _I'm_ not, _you_ are. Ekans is wiped out from that electric attack, and you're the best candidate. Go and bring back a Pokémon that reflects my fabulous personality."

Meowth decided to bite back the cutting remark he had about Jessie's personality, since he was already tired and he just wanted to get it over with. Turning around, he left the area and started looking around for a Pokémon.

'Sheesh, wouldn't it be better ta wait 'til morning?' Meowth thought as he looked around. 'Any sane Pokémon's probably sleepin'…'

Soon after he finished that thought, his feline ears picked up the sounds of a battle. He was in no hurry, though. He would take his time and then take on the winner when they were already worn out from the fight.

'One new recruit, comin' up.' Meowth snarked to himself as he nonchalantly strolled closer to the source of the fighting noises. On the way, Meowth realized that he didn't have any Poké Balls with him. Meh, he'd figure it out. And if he didn't, he could always pin the blame on Jessie for not giving him one.

Once he reached the area where the fight was going on, he saw that it was a Rattata fighting against a Spearow. The Spearow had a few bruises, but the Rattata was cut up pretty badly and looking woozy. Still, it might get one or two more hits in before fainting. Once that thought crossed his mind, Meowth's eyes opened wider as a figurative light bulb went off over his head. After that, a sneaky grin crawled across his face.

Spearow lunged down and scratched at the Rattata with its sharp claws again. The Mouse Pokémon tried running away, but the Flying Pokémon just circled around and scratched at it again. Rattata fell to the ground, passed out from exhaustion. Spearow landed next to the fallen mouse and was about to land the killing blow, but stopped when it heard something.

Meowth stepped out of the shadows, the moonlight glimmering off his charm and eyes as he grinned at the Tiny Bird Pokémon.

"Evenin', Spearow. Ya know, it's yer lucky day! Ya've been chosen to join da great Team Rocket! So, we gonna do dis da easy way…" Meowth raised his paws and extended his claws, "or da hard way?"

The Spearow spread its wings in a threatening gesture and then squawked angrily at Meowth. From what Meowth could understand, Spearow basically spat in the face of human-trained Pokémon and said she didn't need a human to be strong.

Meowth shrugged his shoulders and popped his neck, "Hard way it is."

Meowth rushed the bird Pokémon, his paws out at his sides, ready to strike. Spearow pecked at him when he got closer, but Meowth had enough time to get several hits with his Fury Swipes attack. The bird flew up to put some distance between herself and Meowth while he turned to keep her in his sight.

Spearow tried dive-bombing Meowth to get some scratches on him, but Meowth turned sideways and jumped back while landing a Scratch attack of his own.

Spearow was starting to feel fatigued. That Rattata had already tired her out slightly, and this Meowth was stronger than her. She decided to take her original prey and fly away. But when she turned to grab it, she found it missing. She landed near the spot, temporarily forgetting the battle and looked around. Her catch was right here just a moment ago!

"Lookin' for somethin'?" Meowth asked cheekily.

Spearow turned sharply to see that Meowth had the still unconscious Rattata in his other paw, the one that had been facing away from her. The cat had the nerve to steal her dinner!

"Gotta catch me for it!" Meowth taunted as he put the Rattata in his mouth to hold it before running off on all fours. He would need all his speed to keep ahead, even though Spearow was tired. He wasn't going to take any chances. You know… fury and women scorned, after all.

The Spearow chased after him, squawking angrily all the way along. She didn't care how long it took; she would chase Meowth to the ends of the earth to get her rightful catch back!

But soon, she started to notice that the terrain was changing. They were running into a portion of the area that she wasn't familiar with. By the time she noticed the sphere flying towards her, it was already too late to avoid it.

Meowth dropped the Rattata and wiped his tongue off thoroughly while Jessie's Poké Ball shook on the ground. That had literally been the most disgusting thing he'd ever tasted.

After the red light on the button turned off, Jessie picked up the Poké Ball, saying, "Well, a Spearow isn't what _I_ would pick, but good job bringing it back here."

"Yeah, yeah," Meowth said, picking a Rattata hair off his tongue, "She's got a bit o' an attitude problem. Hates Trainers and their Pokémon a lot." He left after saying that, heading towards the balloon basket, "I need some mouthwash…"

James looked up from his work long enough to notice the Rattata still on the ground. He turned back to focus on weaving as he asked, "What's the problem? I thought cats liked eating rats."

Meowth gargled the cleansing solution and spat it out over the side of the basket before replying, "Yeah? Lemme throw a burger on the ground, stomp it into the dirt an' see if _you_ want it. I just took it so the Spearow would follow me back here."

"Meowth," Jessie chastised jokingly, "hasn't anyone ever taught you it's rude to steal someone's food? I see no need to deprive my new Pokémon her nourishment."

"Aaaand dat's my cue ta take my dinner somewhere else," Meowth said, grabbing a wrapped loaf of seasoned bread and a small bottle of water. He jumped out of the basket and took off in the opposite direction as Jessie opened Spearow's Poké Ball. Meowth knew the law of survival in the wild, but his hunting and gathering days were long behind him, and he much preferred a burger over a Pokémon.

* * *

By the time the sun had come up, Team Rocket was already up and about and James was making salmon rice balls for a quick breakfast. He had taken his gloves off and soaked his hands with some cold water to keep them from getting burned as he handled the hot rice.

Given that he originally came from a wealthy family, most wouldn't think James to be the handyman/cook of the group, but Meowth lacked dexterity and motivation to work with complicated things like weaving and cooking and Jessie managed to ruin any food that she touched, as well as only being slightly passable at sewing, much less weaving.

James smiled as he thought back to his Nana and Pop-pop at his summer home. Nana had taught him to sew and weave in case he ever needed to fix something in a hurry and Pop-pop taught him all sorts of crafting methods and other things involving hands-on work. James never thought he'd use it in a life of crime, but he was grateful to have the skills.

Some branches rustling from the nearby bush brought his attention back to the present as he turned to the source of the sound. Putting the half-formed rice ball down and dusting the leftover grains off, he held up his Poké Ball containing Koffing. When a Mankey appeared from the bushes, its pig-like snout sniffing the air as its eyes were squinted closed, James lowered the ball and looked at the rice balls that he had prepared.

Mankey emerged from the bushes and scurried closer, chattering excitedly, "Mochit, mochit, mochit!"

James pulled the plate of rice balls closer to him and said, "Ah ah ah, these are for me and my team, but… how about a deal?"

Mankey looked up at him curiously. He hadn't seen very many humans coming through here, so he was willing to listen.

James smiled, "We'll be leaving this area soon, so even if I made you a rice ball, where would you get more? But if you join our team, then I'll be able to make you more as we travel. Would you like that?"

Mankey hopped up and down excitedly, clearly finding the prospect exciting. James nodded, "Very well, then." He reached into his pocket and pulled out an empty Poké Ball, expanding it before holding it out. "Get into the ball and I'll start preparing your first order."

Mankey excitedly held up two of his finger-like appendages, letting James know he wanted two rice balls and then put his hand on the Poké Ball's button. The button glowed red for a moment before it turned off immediately. James held the ball beside him and then opened it again. Mankey reappeared and then excitedly waited and watched James work on preparing the food.

Later, breakfast was served and Jessie and Meowth stared at Mankey hanging off of James' back with his legs wrapped around James' torso, munching on two rice balls.

Jessie took her portion and raised an eyebrow, "What's with the pig monkey?"

"He liked my cooking, so he joined our team," James answered simply while eating his own breakfast.

Jessie scoffed, "If good cooking was all it took to catch Pokémon, we'd have a truckload by now with my cooking!"

James and Meowth wisely decided to just finish their breakfast without another word while Mankey looked around confused.

After the four of them finished the rice balls, Ekans and Spearow were released to hunt for their breakfast while Koffing was given a handful of Pokémon food. He couldn't eat too much, or he'd be weighed down before he could convert the eaten food into poison gas.

Soon after Ekans and Spearow got back, the balloon was finished inflating with air and Jessie had already started the flame to heat the air inside. Once Jessie saw some blood on Spearow's beak, she called her over and wiped it off with a napkin from breakfast.

"Have some pride in your appearance, Spearow. Look at Ekans, does _she_ have blood on her face? No," Jessie lectured.

Meowth laughed, "C'mon, Jessie, da last thing we need on dis team is _two_ vain birds."

"Oh, did you say something, Meowth?" Jessie said with a smile as she pushed Meowth forward with her heel and ground it into the back of his head.

James held up his Poké Ball to recall Mankey off his shoulders, "Come now, Jessie, we don't have time for this if we want to intercept those twerps in Viridian Forest. Mankey, return."

Jessie hmphed and picked Meowth off the ground before tossing him into the balloon basket. "Fair enough. Ekans, Spearow, return."

With all their Pokémon called back, James pulled the chain on the burner and the flame flared up, allowing the balloon to lift off. When they were up in the air, they started heading over to Viridian Forest and the three of them took out high-tech binoculars, looking around in three different directions.

Soon, Jessie spotted something. A Pidgeotto swerving back and forth. She brought it to James' and Meowth's attention. The three of them looked to the ground in that area and saw Ash holding out a Poké Ball, calling back one of his own, apparently.

Meowth grinned. "We got 'im."

James took hold of the control lines to allow the balloon to head in that direction as well as descend.

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 **So, against my better judgment, I've decided to release this third fan fiction into the cycle, because it'll probably be a long-term one anyway. I'll update it when I can, but it won't be as high on the priority list as my other two stories. Mostly, I'm posting it now to see how it's received. Please drop a review to let me know what you think, and I'll see you when I see you, in this story or the other two.**

 **-AJ203**


	2. Chapter 2: Retreat to Battle Another Day

**A review from a certain guest whom I couldn't reply to via PM urged me to put this chapter out, just so I could respond to him. I had this chapter mostly written by the time I was done writing the first one, because at this point, I was brainstorming and writing several pieces of the beginning all around before connecting them. Anywho, the review:**

 **Guest: "Blah. Team Rocket, or at least the JJM trio are the dumbest criminals around; they know s**t" (censored by me) "about pulling a heist. A pro pokemon thief should have an Abra, a Porygon, a Jigglypuff and some earplugs. Abra's teleport is so much better than a lame balloon. A Porygon can hack into databases; enough said. Jigglypuff's song makes anyone who hears it fall asleep. Done; unstoppable thief."**

 **First off, my aim isn't to make Team Rocket overpowered, just more competent and more of a threat. If I were to make them completely cold, professional and unstoppable, that would be an overly-rapid shift in their character, borderline OOC and unrealistic.**

 **Second, that team; it is not as perfect as you might think, Guest. Bear in mind that this follows the anime. Abra are already exceedingly difficult to catch, given their penchant for teleporting away immediately when sighted. Even more so, they are difficult to control without the Trainer having psychic powers as well. Porygon could hack into databases, as evidenced by the episode of Pokémon that never got aired where Team Rocket stole a Porygon and used it to take Pokémon being transferred through the Poké Ball transfer system. But in that same episode, a simple antivirus was enough to knock out Porygon and nearly kill Team Rocket as well, had they not been saved by Ash and co. As for Jigglypuff, in her debut episode, Team Rocket tried using earplugs to stay awake and steal all the Pokémon from the city that Jigglypuff was singing to. However, they fell asleep anyway because the earplugs were only a stalling measure. The move Sing leaks through earplugs and puts the listener to sleep anyway.**

 **So yeah, just some food for thought. If you have a problem with the way I write my stories, I'd like to see you make an account and do a better job at writing it.**

 **Now, for the rest of you, on with the chapter! \\(^o^)**

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Chapter 2: Retreat to Battle Another Day!

"The Pokémon Trainer's judgment is more important than anything else, and unfortunately for you, the Trainer has to have a brain!"

Team Rocket arrived while Misty seemed to be having an argument with Ash. But regardless, they made their entrance with Jessie's laugh at having found them and James saying, "So, we meet again."

Ash snapped out of being intimidated by Misty as he said, "I know that voice…"

Team Rocket was standing in the middle of the path forward, and they began their motto.

"To protect the world from devastation,"

"To unite all peoples within our nation,"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love,"

"To extend our reach to the stars above,"

"Jessie,"  
"James,"

Ash muttered to himself, "No, not this again…"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, dat's right!"

With their motto finished, some colored smoke pyrotechnics went off behind them. Ash walked forward and said, "Uh, we're kinda busy now, so if you could-"

"Quiet, little boy," Jessie interrupted. "We're not here to listen to you; we're here to get your Pokémon."

Jessie and James pointed at Pikachu as James said, "Hand over that Pikachu."

Ash was confused, "Hey, this is my Pikachu! Go out and find your own!"

Jessie grinned, "The only Pikachu we want is _that_ one."

"The reasons why aren't important, but one way or another, that Pikachu is coming with us," James said with the same sinister grin. He was careful to not reveal that rare Pokémon were priority for Team Rocket. Meowth noticed this and whispered to Jessie about not letting the two of them know that Pikachu was that powerful.

After that, Jessie said, "Make things easy and hand over that Pikachu."

"Hmph, forget it!" Ash said with his arms crossed.

"Then you leave us no choice," James said as he and Jessie held out their Poké Balls.

Jessie shouted, "Pokémon battle! Ekans, go!"

"Koffing, go get them!" James ordered. They would save their new Pokémon in reserve.

Ash shouted, "Hey! Two against one, that's cheating!"

"Well, as we say, all's fair in love, war and Pokémon battles," Jessie said with a flourish of her hair.

"I say that saying's rotten, and so are you!" Ash retorted.

James raised an eyebrow, "Of course we are. _We're_ the bad guys."

At that moment, Misty cut in, saying to Ash, "Well, if _they're_ going to use two Pokémon, I don't see why _we_ can't use two Pokémon."

While Ash was busy arguing about the League rules and regulations, James saw an opportunity and pointed with his rose at Pikachu.

"Koffing, Sludge attack, now!"

"Koffing!" Koffing zoomed forward and spat some sludge at Pikachu's eyes.

Pikachu tried to remove it, crying out, but he couldn't. Ash picked him up and turned away, "If you think you can use your dirty tricks to beat me, you're wrong!" After handing Pikachu to Misty, he hesitated and thought a bit as he reached to one of the Poké Balls attached to his belt.

"So what's your big battle plan?" Jessie taunted.

Ash took one of the Poké Balls and turned his hat backwards, getting pumped for battle.

"Pidgeotto, go!"

The medium-sized bird flew straight up once the Poké Ball opened. James just grinned. The twerp had just caught that Pokémon, so it was considerably weakened from the last battle.

He held the rose close to his face with poise and said, "Koffing, it's grime time."

Koffing flew up to chase after Pidgeotto, getting in the way of his flight path and forcing him to go down by spitting Sludge.

"Ekans, go get your dinner!" Jessie shouted.

Ekans intercepted Pidgeotto when he flew low, but missed her chance to bite him. Pidgeotto swerved back and started dive-bombing the Snake Pokémon.

"Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!"

At Ash's order, Pidgeotto put an extra burst of speed into his dive, causing rings of fire-like energy to appear around him. Jessie wasn't worried, though.

"Ekans, go underground!"

Ekans dove towards the ground and burrowed through it like passing through water. With no target in sight any longer, Pidgeotto hurriedly beat his wings to stop his descent, hovering just above the ground. At this point, Koffing snuck behind him.

"Pidgeotto, behind you! Watch out!" Ash warned.

Koffing shot a stream of Smog out of his mouth, but it was cleared away with a beat of Pidgeotto's wings. Koffing shot some Sludge, but Pidgeotto flitted around and dodged the poisonous gobs of muck. But while he was dodging, Ekans shot up out of the ground and tried biting Pidgeotto again.

"Pidgeotto!" Misty called out.

Pidgeotto saw Ekans coming out of the corner of his eye and shot straight up to dodge with a beat of his wings. Regardless, after missing, Ekans coiled like a spring and jumped, followed by Koffing levitating, after Pidgeotto.

Ash called out, "Gust counterattack, now!"

Pidgeotto stirred up small tornados in the air, but Koffing quickly shot some gas from his left side and dodged to the right while Ekans continued soaring upwards. Once Ekans reached the peak of her jump, she turned her body in the air and did a full-body Tackle on Pidgeotto's back. Following that, Koffing Tackled that same spot to stall him further while Ekans landed and coiled up again. Soon, Ekans launched again, this time directly into Pidgeotto's front, knocking him out of the sky.

Before Pidgeotto could fall out of the sky, Ash held out his Poké Ball, "Pidgeotto, return!" After that, he put the ball back on his belt and rushed Team Rocket, shouting, "I'll show _you_!"

James let out a single chuckle as he put his rose in his mouth and merely held him at arm's length, using his height and physical training to his advantage. Once Ash saw that he wasn't making any headway, he started wildly swinging his fists, "All right, let's go! Put 'em up!"

"Ha! What a fool!" Meowth taunted. "In Pokémon battles, only the Pokémon can fight each other."

James held his other hand in front of Ash's forehead and said around the rose, "Buzz off." He flicked Ash in the forehead and sent him sprawling backwards. Misty rushed to his side and asked if he was okay.

"Guess you've got no choice," Jessie said. "Let Pikachu in and watch Team Rocket win!"

Pikachu squirmed, but Misty held him, wiping his face, "No Pikachu, you can't battle in this condition."

Team Rocket saw Ash take out another Poké Ball and murmur something to it. Then he said, "Caterpie, go!"

When the ball popped open, a scratched up and wheezy Caterpie appeared. Team Rocket gawked and James asked, "What's that?"

"It's a bug," Meowth answered. "A measly little bug."

The three of them laughed obnoxiously and Jessie said, "Let's get the bug spray!"

Ekans and Koffing rushed towards Caterpie and he ducked to the ground, but Ash seemed to have a flash of inspiration.

"Caterpie, String Shot, now!"

Caterpie looked up and stood up straight again. Spraying a fine silk thread out of his mouth, he completely covered up Koffing, causing him to fall to the ground with a hollow thud since he was unable to expel gas to float. James noticed this and the rose fell out of his mouth.

Soon, Caterpie turned to the lunging Ekans and spat silk to cover her head, confusing the Snake Pokémon, and causing her to lunge around blindly. Caterpie then rushed towards Koffing's fallen body.

"Oh, no you don't!" James shouted as he held out his Poké Ball. "Koffing, return!"

The return beam raced out and hit the Poison Gas Pokémon before Caterpie made contact. Caterpie phased through Koffing's energy-converted body before he was pulled back into his Poké Ball, string and all. Jessie soon recalled Ekans too, saying, "You're no good in this battle if you're blinded, return!"

Meowth grinned and stepped forward, "Now, watch a real Pokémon in action." He held his claws up, but Caterpie started spraying him with String Shot too. Meowth tried to cut them away, but they formed faster than he could deal with. Soon, he was completely wrapped and stuck in an awkward position.

James picked him up and cut him out with a pocket knife. "A 'real Pokémon,' hm?"

"Shut it."

Misty stepped forward, "We've beaten you! Now, give up!"

Jessie just smiled, "Oh, did you think Ekans and Koffing were our only Pokémon? I'll have you know that we have Poké Balls too, missy." She took out another Poké Ball and held it up while James did the same after putting Meowth back down.

"Wh-what?" Ash said. They didn't have other Pokémon at the Pokémon Center!

Jessie and James grinned as they tossed their Poké Balls out.

"Spearow, dinner time!"

"Mankey, go!"

Jessie and James' newly acquired Pokémon appeared in front of them. Spearow eyed the Caterpie with a predatory gleam while Mankey just observed with his usual squinty-eyed demeanor, legs squatted and hands on the ground between them with his tail curled behind him.

Ash was very worried about the Spearow after what Misty said about birds and bugs, his bad experience aside. The other Pokémon, he didn't even know. He took out his Pokédex and it spoke up.

 _ **"Mankey, a Pig Monkey Pokémon of the Fighting-type. Known for its superior footwork, it packs a powerful punch."**_

"Mankey, watch out for that tiny bug's String Shot."

"Mochit!"

"Spearow, carve it up!"

"Spear!"

Ash growled, "Caterpie, hang in there! Use String Shot!"

Caterpie sprayed his silk towards Mankey, but with his superior speed, he leapt backwards and circled around. As Spearow was diving down, and Mankey was about to kick Caterpie from behind, Caterpie abruptly turned his head upward and sprayed String Shot straight into the air causing it to come down in waves.

Spearow and Mankey were both forced to fall back or risk getting tangled up. Ash looked at Caterpie puzzled. His silk was falling over his own body.

"Caterpie…?" He gingerly asked.

Misty spoke up, "It's evolving!"

Soon, the silk hardened into a protective shell, completing Caterpie's evolution into Metapod. Right after he evolved, his body glowed green, signifying the use of his species' signature move, Harden.

Jessie growled, "So what if it evolved? Spearow, attack!"

"Mankey, Low Kick!" James ordered.

Spearow flew forward and Mankey rushed ahead first and delivered a kick to Metapod's back. There was a sound like striking metal, and Mankey leapt up and down on one foot, screeching and holding his now injured foot. This caused Spearow to pause and reconsider attacking.

"Then forget the one that can't move," Jessie ordered in an irritated tone. "Attack the one holding Pikachu!"

But by that point, Pikachu had already regained his sight and was standing on his own. After Spearow approached him, he simply used Thunder Shock to defeat her.

Once Spearow hit the ground, Jessie and James recalled their Pokémon with a "tsk" and Jessie said, "It's time Team Rocket blasted off." Meowth was carried by James and the trio left behind the rose as James called over his shoulder, "You may have won this round, but we'll be back!"

The last thing that they heard was Misty yelling, "Come back anytime! We'll be glad to beat you!"

Jessie and James growled while Jessie said, "That twerpette has no right to be cocky!"

"She didn't even battle, and she was pathetic against Ekans and Koffing," James added.

Meowth spoke up, "Meowth! We'll head ta da balloon, an' see what we can do about gettin' dat stuff off Ekans an' Koffing, an' then we'll go after 'em again! They got lucky since Pikachu cut in! Dat Caterpie an' Metapod was jus' a stall!"

* * *

Team Rocket managed to get the string off of Ekans and Koffing without much trouble. Ekans just hung her face towards the ground and used Acid to burn a hole in the silk so Jessie could easily get the rest off, while James used his knife again to cut a small amount of the strings before unwinding the rest. He didn't want to risk puncturing Koffing's thin skin.

Afterwards, they decided to leave the balloon where it was and continue after Ash and Misty on foot.

Once they were headed through the deeper parts of Viridian Forest, Jessie insisted they go back to Viridian City in disguise and buy some supplies.

"What for?" Meowth asked.

Jessie just answered, "You'll see."

The next day saw the trio with a thick casing made out of wood over their heads with the Rocket logo carved on both sides. Meowth was lounging on top and Jessie, James and Mankey were underneath it gripping handles on the inside. Jessie and James were in the front and middle, looking through a window with a metal hatch in the front to see where they were going. Meanwhile, Mankey was taking up the rear, holding a lower set of handles fixed to the back above him while looking between Jessie and James' legs to see ahead. The makeshift shelter reached down Jessie and James' knees, meaning they could lower it and crouch to comfortably hide in it for a time.

Eventually, as they got back to the deep portion of the forest, James spoke up, "I'm tired."

"James, stop whining," Jessie ordered.

"But Jessie, what's the point of dragging this tank around?" James asked.

"To protect us from Beedrill," Jessie explained. "Ever been stung by one? It _hurts._ You should be counting your blessings that Mankey was able to help."

"Mochit, Mo-Moch." Mankey said.

Meowth spoke up, "Mankey says ya owe him three extra rice balls wit' dinner for dis."

"And what about _you_?" Jessie asked.

James added, "Why don't you come help us?"

"Wish I could, but I'm ridin' lookout," Meowth lazily replied.

Jessie and James scowled and gripped the handles of the tank, James looking back and signaling Mankey with a tip of his head. "Well, look out for _this_!" Jessie shouted as the three of them shook the tank, knocking Meowth off. Meowth screamed as he fell off and James said, "Let's step on it, Mankey!"

Meowth chased after the rest of them in the tank, yelling, "Hey, wait a second! Come back! Meowth!"

* * *

Team Rocket didn't find any evidence of Ash or Misty anywhere, so they camped outside, eating a packed dinner (with Mankey getting his rice balls of course), sleeping on the ground, using their own arms to support their heads. As the sun came up, Meowth heard something. When he looked from his curled up position, he saw Ash making his way somewhere. He quickly shook Jessie and James' shoulders and pointed while holding his paw over his mouth. The trio grinned before following after him, making sure to bring the tank along too.

As Ash got closer to where he was going, he started crawling along the grass, observing the Beedrill swarm resting on the massive tree. But his head was pressed into the ground as Meowth jumped and landed on it with one foot.

"Do ya know what Meowth's favorite game is?" he said cheekily.

"Get off!" After Ash shook him off, Meowth simply raked his claws across Ash's face.

"Scratch-and-Sniffle, nya-ha-ha!" Meowth answered smugly.

While Ash was crying in pain from the scratches, James called out, "Guess who~!"

Team Rocket was standing atop a nearby cliff, and they began their motto, but Ash shouted, "No, not again! Not now!"

Jessie growled before saying, " _Never_ interrupt the Team Rocket motto!"

"But the Beedrill-" Jessie cut him off by clearing her throat as she and James went on.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love,"

"To extend our reach to the stars above,"

"Jessie!"  
"James!"

"Keep it down before you wake up the Beedrills!" Ash said in a hushed shout.

Just to spite him, the two of them spoke louder.

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, dat's right!"

The pyrotechnics that went off at the end wound up being what woke up the Beedrill. Ash screamed as they buzzed angrily.

Jessie ignored it and said, "Little boy, why don't you give us your Pikachu? There's no use trying to resist us, so be smart and hand over the Pokémon!"

"I don't have Pikachu with me, and even if I did, I'd never let you take him!" Ash shouted before running towards Metapod. Shouting, "Come back here!" Team Rocket jumped down from the cliff and gave chase, still unaware of the Beedrill.

Soon, Ash muttered something before diving and rolling under the swarm to avoid the Beedrill. Regardless, they saw Team Rocket and started heading for them next. Team Rocket stopped in shock before calming down and looking at each other.

Jessie smiled, "The tank will surely come in handy now."

"It was worth the struggle dragging it here," James agreed. The trio ran back and crawled under the tank and Jessie said, "In fact, why not make the most of this? Smoke confuses bees, right?" She took out Spearow's Poké Ball and expanded it.

James smiled and nodded, taking Koffing's Poké Ball out as well, "Good thinking, Jess. Let's harvest this hive!"

The tank shook as Beedrill were stabbing at it, some stingers getting through, but James quickly opened the hatch before throwing out his Poké Ball.

"Koffing, Smokescreen!"

Jessie followed shortly after, shouting, "Spearow, take each and every one of them down!" After that they quickly shut the hatch again, the metal blocking a Beedrill's stinger.

Koffing appeared in the middle of the swarm and shot smoke out of his body, enveloping and dazing the Poison Bee Pokémon. Spearow appeared next, able to see right through the smoke with her keen eyes. She smirked and looked to Koffing.

"Spearow, Spear!"

Spearow challenged Koffing to keep up with her before she took off like an arrow and started Pecking and Scratching the Beedrill as she flew by them. Koffing grinned slightly wider and started Tackling the Beedrill as well. Soon, the last two were taken down by Spearow at the same time with her newly learned Fury Attack move. With that, the score was 15 – 6, in Spearow's favor.

Once everything went quiet, James looked through the hatch again and saw that the coast was clear. Lifting the tank with Jessie's help, he looked around.

"Seems they're down. So what do we do with them?" James asked.

Jessie scoffed, as if the answer was obvious, "Catch them, of course. Spearow, make sure they stay down. James, go off and get twenty Poké Balls in a sack."

"Twenty?" Meowth looked around and counted. "There're twenty-one Beedrill."

Jessie took out an empty Poké Ball and dropped it on the closest Beedrill. The ball only shook twice before the light went out. "We're gifting them to the Boss, so the other squads can have some more Pokémon. We were probably going to get one anyway, so this one's mine."

James sighed and ran off to where they kept the hot air balloon.

* * *

Ash had long since gotten away from the Beedrill horde, and he felt sorry that the Beedrill were getting captured, but Pidgeotto wouldn't be enough to stop them by himself.

However, after Metapod received Ash's heartfelt apology, he suddenly evolved into a Butterfree. Once Ash realized that his newly evolved Pokémon would be able to stop Team Rocket, he turned around and ran back to the hive.

Ash arrived in time to see all the Beedrill gone and Jessie and Meowth putting the Poké Balls in a bag James was holding. They had already recalled Spearow and Koffing. Ash shouted, "Hold it, Team Rocket!"

Jessie looked up, "Hm? Isn't it _our_ job to make the dramatic entrances?"

"And what's so illegal about catching some wild Pokémon?" James asked with a raised eyebrow.

Meowth laughed, "Yeah, maybe _you're_ da bad guy for siccin' dese Beedrill on _us_. Didja tink we couldn't handle some bees?"

"You're not taking any Pokémon today! Butterfree, Sleep Powder!" Ash shouted.

Butterfree flew up, "Free! Free!"

Once James saw the blue powder descending, he quickly tied the sack shut and took out Mankey's Poké Ball. As the agent took effect, he said with a yawn, "Mankey… Ahh… Take the balls and… escape…"

The ball fell to the ground and popped open as Team Rocket hit the ground, asleep. Having heard his orders through the Poké Ball, Mankey quickly snatched the bag of Poké Balls and ran into the trees with it over one of his shoulders. Due to his species' overactive adrenaline he was able to shrug off the Sleep Powder. **(1)**

"Wha-?! Butterfree, stop that Mankey!" Ash said as he pointed for Butterfree to give chase.

"Free!"

Butterfree chased after Mankey and Mankey snatched up a good-sized rock off the ground without losing his pace. Taking a leap to get into the branches of the trees, he continued his escape with Butterfree in hot pursuit. Then Mankey unexpectedly turned around mid-jump and threw the rock, beaning Butterfree and dazing him for a moment.

That moment was all that Mankey needed to double back and head back to where his owner was. Orders or no orders, if James was captured, who was going to cook food for him?

Soon, he spotted Ash along with two other humans and a Pikachu, and they seemed to be about to drag off the unconscious Team Rocket. Hiding the Poké Balls in a nearby bush, he screeched to surprise and intimidate the group before rushing them.

"What, the Mankey's back?!" Ash shouted in surprise.

"Mochit!" Jumping, Mankey put his entire body into landing a kick in Ash's side, knocking him into the other two humans and toppling the group. Taking the opportunity to rush over to the others, he slapped Jessie awake, then James, then Meowth.

"Wha-?!" Jessie shouted before rubbing her stinging face. "Mankey! If that left a mark, I'll-!"

James quickly took stock of the situation once he was awake. "Jessie, that twerp's Butterfree knocked us out with Sleep Powder, but we're awake now."

Jessie hmphed, and then said, "Right." Jessie took Spearow's Poké Ball back out, "Spearow, track down that Butterfree and make sure it stays away."

Spearow took to the skies, and Ash pointed, "Pikachu, Thunder Shock!"

"Not so fast! Mankey, Low Kick!" James pointed with his ever-present rose.

Mankey rushed while Pikachu was charging electricity and slid to the ground before kicking Pikachu up into the air. Regardless, Pikachu evened himself out in the air and shot a Thunder Shock down towards Mankey. The Pig Monkey Pokémon shouted in pain before the electricity ended. His eyes opened and he scowled in rage up at Pikachu. The instant Pikachu landed, Mankey started relentlessly chasing him.

"Mochit! Mochit! Mochit!" He shouted as he kicked up a trail of dust chasing Pikachu.

Pikachu screamed in terror as he ran, "Chaaa!"

Ash growled in frustration. "That's it! Time to bring out Pidgeotto!" He took out his Poké Ball and threw it into the air.

Samurai took out his own, "Send it after the Spearow! I will take care of the Mankey. Pinsir! Assume battle mode!"

Samurai's Pinsir appeared in front of Mankey and caught his arms, causing a deadlock between the two Pokémon. Mankey snorted angrily, steam practically coming out of his nostrils. Pikachu ran back to perch on Ash's shoulder.

Jessie picked up Meowth with one hand as she held another Poké Ball in the other. Whispering so only Meowth would hear, she said, "Find where Mankey hid the Poké Balls and get them back to the balloon. Set up the portable transport and get them to the Boss." She put him back down and Meowth scurried away. Then Jessie opened the Poké Ball that she was holding, shouting orders, "Ekans! Use Wrap to hold down Pinsir!"

"Ekaaaansss!" Ekans burrowed underground and popped up behind the Pinsir, wrapping him up with her long body.

"Well done! Now Mankey, pummel that Pinsir!" James said with a smile.

As Mankey slammed his fists into Pinsir's armored shell repeatedly, Samurai tried calling Pinsir back, but Ekans noticed and moved in the way of the return beam each time. Even so, Jessie was worried about Spearow. 'That twerp's Pidgeotto is probably there by now.' Pulling out another Poké Ball, she called out her newly acquired Beedrill.

"Listen you, go find Spearow and help her against the Butterfree and Pidgeotto, got it?" Jessie ordered.

"Bzz…" Beedrill flew off towards the direction Jessie indicated. It wasn't long until Spearow found them, though. Spearow arrived back, chased by Ash's Butterfree and Pidgeotto. Butterfree looked roughed up, but Spearow had a few new scratches herself. Beedrill saw the two Pokémon chasing Spearow and primed his Twineedles. Buzzing forward, he engaged Pidgeotto to try and inflict poison with his stingers.

"Grr… Team Rocket's using one of the Beedrill," Ash growled.

Pinsir flopped down as he was released from Ekans' grip with cracks on his exoskeleton. Samurai returned him with a growl, and Misty started reaching into her own backpack. "It's not over yet! I still have-"

Within a moment, Mankey had jumped and snatched her backpack, kicking off of her head at the same time to leap away. He had learned, when humans reach into stuff, they're calling out Pokémon.

James laughed, "Ha ha ha! You won't be getting anymore reinforcements!" It felt good to be winning this after losing yesterday.

Pidgeotto was knocked out of the sky with two punctures in his back. Misty and Samurai ran over, and Samurai said, "He's been stung, he needs an Antidote. Use one of mine." He gave Ash the medicine, and Ash sprayed Pidgeotto before returning him. Looking up, he saw that Butterfree was getting attacked badly by both of Jessie's Pokémon, so he returned him too.

Jessie saw this and noticed that Spearow was tired, while Beedrill still looked raring to go. She pointed Spearow's Poké Ball up and said, "Spearow, return. You've earned a good rest."

By this point, James had received Misty's backpack and was rifling through it as Mankey hung from his shoulders, his anger replaced by curiosity for the moment. James wasn't interested in the Pokémon, he had seen Misty's and they were pathetic against Ekans and Koffing alone. He was just keeping the redhead's backpack to keep her from interfering. He found something that made him raise an eyebrow.

"A _diary_ …?" He and Mankey both laughed as James went on, taunting Misty, "What are you, seven?"

"Put that back!" Misty shouted, as she charged him. Jessie's Beedrill cut her off, and she freaked out, falling back and scooting away rapidly.

Jessie laughed, "Looks like you all are out of luck! We've beaten your Pokémon, have Pikachu outnumbered three-to-one, and…"

"Mmm, dat's my cue ta come out."

Meowth leaped in from one of the surrounding trees, landing between Jessie and James. He had a grin like the cat that got the canary. "Da Boss was pleased wit' da order o' Beedrill we sent him. Said dat our agents would make great use o' dem."

"Well, then, I guess we won't need this anymore," James said as he tossed Misty's backpack to her while she was still on the ground. "Now, are you going to hand over Pikachu? Or do we have to set _our_ new Beedrill on you?"

Ash was growling, but then he realized that Jessie's Spearow was called back, so that meant that they wouldn't be able to track them. He held out one of his Poké Balls and Team Rocket was confused that he was calling back out one of his injured Pokémon.

"Pidgeotto! Sand Attack!" He shouted, releasing Pidgeotto on the ground. Luckily for him, Pidgeotto was the least injured, suffering more from poison than damage. Pidgeotto came out standing on the ground, the Antidote and brief time to recuperate leaving him ready.

"Huh? Sand?" The Rocket Trio inquired. Right after saying this, the three of them had a massive cloud of sand kicked up right in their face courtesy of Pidgeotto's wings.

Blinded and coughing from the sand, they heard Ash say, "Pidgeotto, return! Let's run for it!"

"Wait for us!"

"No!" Jessie shouted, trying to wipe the sand from her eyes. Beedrill and Mankey were also affected by the sand. By the time they cleared their eyes, Ash, Misty and Samurai were long gone.

James was stunned, "They ran…" He had figured the twerp to be the kind to never back down from a battle. But he had blinded them and ran, like a scared little Rattata.

"Beedrill, take to the skies! Track them down!" Jessie ordered. She was fuming at the lost opportunity to take the twerp's Pikachu. After Beedrill flew off, she turned her sights on James and Meowth and they stood at attention. An angry Jessie was never pleasant to deal with.

"You two! We're getting back to the balloon and searching with our binoculars! Go!" She shouted at them.

The three of them ran, not bothering to take the tank, as it would slow them down and they would be leaving Viridian Forest anyway.

* * *

 **Ba-bam! Second chapter, and much longer too! To be honest, the chapter length will probably vary, from 3000 – 5000, to be precise. I thought about dividing this chapter into two, but then it would be two kinda awkwardly short chapters instead of one slightly longer one.**

 **Notes:**

 **1\. This is my interpretation of what Vital Spirit is in the games.**


	3. Chapter 3: Training and Plotting

**For those who follow For the Mission as well, sorry that this isn't an update to that, but unlike that one, Rocket's Rising doesn't require level grinding for me to continue the story and continue writing. This chapter came first, while I'm still trying to get strong enough to get through the required plot.**

 **Also, to answer a guest reviewer who was concerned with the grammar in the title, it's called "Rocket's Rising" using the possessive. As in, "The Rising of (Team) Rocket". Although, the other interpretation, "(Team) Rocket is Rising" could also work.**

 **Now that the apology and clarification are made, let's get on with the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 3: Training and Plotting

With the former Beedrill hive completely deserted, there were no sounds for a bit, before a voice spoke up.

"Are they gone?"

"Sounds like it."

Misty and Samurai poked their heads out from behind some trees surrounding the clearing.

Samurai spoke up, turning to another tree, "Clever move, proclaiming escape and then concealing ourselves nearby. But we must hurry back to my cabin before that villain's Beedrill spots us."

Ash didn't respond, nor was he checking the clearing. He was busy staring at the ground, angry. "I can't believe I ran away from a battle," he sulked. Pikachu patted the back of his head, "Pika…"

"There was no choice," Samurai said. "Our Pokémon were defeated, and they still had three left, the talking Meowth aside."

Misty shook her head, "Four left; that guy, James has a Koffing too." She pulled at Ash's arm to get him standing, "Come on, Ash, we need to move!"

The three of them stealthily made their way back to Samurai's cabin. Once they were inside, they let out a breath of relief. Ash was still serious, though.

"This is bad…" he muttered. Misty and Samurai looked towards him and he went on, "Team Rocket almost got Pikachu, and we had to run away. As far as I'm concerned, they won. That means I need to train to beat them!"

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu said, clenching his fists in determination while taking a fighting pose.

Samurai nodded, "Good determination, novice. I specialize in Bug-type Pokémon, so I will assist you in training your Butterfree."

Ash instinctively wanted to refuse, but training from an expert could be the difference between winning and losing. Turning towards Samurai, he nodded and said, "All right, I guess I need all the help I can get right now."

"Well how are we supposed to know when it's safe to go out?" Misty asked.

"Simple," Samurai said. "We sleep during the day and train in the dead of night. Even villains have to sleep too."

* * *

Team Rocket was scanning all around Viridian Forest with their binoculars, zeroing in on a sign of movement, only to find that it was a wild Pokémon they weren't looking for.

"Could they have slipped away to Pewter City already?" James asked.

"Impossible," Jessie said grouchily. "They can't have gotten far in such a short time without some serious cardio training."

At that moment, the three agents' stomachs growled, and Meowth said with a sigh, "Aw, right, we skipped breakfast ta try catchin' dat twoip. Da otha Pokémon're probably hungry too."

Jessie growled, "Can't be helped. We'll land near the edge of the forest and camp near the path to Pewter City. Viridian's a dead end with Pallet Town and the Indigo Plateau, so the twerps will _have_ to go that way if they want to leave the forest."

"But Jessie, the longer we stake out a single location, the longer time they'll have to possibly get stronger," James pointed out.

Jessie turned to him, "You think we're just going to be sitting there and twiddling our thumbs? Of course not! We're going to train our new Pokémon! That means you too, Meowth."

"Eh?!" Meowth said. "What do I gotta battle for? I've told ya, I spent so much on walkin' an' talkin' dat I can't learn any new moves."

"Can't or won't?!" Jessie shouted. "You got stopped by some stupid String Shot, and when was the last time you actually battled and took down a Pokémon without some sort of trick? At least train with what you've got!"

Meowth seemed backed into a corner, "So dat means…"

"Push-ups, sit-ups, and plenty of dodging practice with Mankey," James finished with him and Jessie looming over him.

* * *

Butterfree and Pikachu were flitting back and forth, trying to land attacks on each other. Pikachu had managed to land a Thunder Shock on Butterfree early on, but since then hasn't been able to get anything to connect.

Meanwhile, Pinsir and Pidgeotto were also battling. Or rather, Pidgeotto was exercising his wings' strength. Pinsir was staying rooted to the ground as he held Pidgeotto by his main body. Pidgeotto's wings were flapping furiously trying to push the Stag Beetle Pokémon back. It was an exercise that Samurai had come up with to help Pidgeotto fly faster.

One other pair was training too. Samurai's Metapod had hardened all the way and was acting as training equipment for a new Pokémon of Ash's, a Rattata, as she repeatedly Tackled Metapod. Ash had used Butterfree to catch her early on in their training. She wasn't the best of additions, but Ash was nervous about fighting Team Rocket again without boosting his numbers. Besides, the only other kind of Pokémon in Viridian Forest was Weedle, and the thought of using the same Pokémon as Team Rocket made Ash sick to his stomach. So far, she and Butterfree had been the only one to learn a new move, Quick Attack and Whirlwind, respectively.

Ash and Samurai were watching closely and Misty was nearby as well. Since there was no water nearby, she couldn't train her Pokémon very effectively without them being in or near water.

"Are you sure this'll make my Pokémon stronger?" Ash asked uneasily.

Samurai glanced at him, "Worry not, Ash Ketchum. A fool tries to raise strength first. The best thing to prioritize is endurance." He had stopped calling him "Novice" after the first couple days of training.

Ash gritted his teeth worriedly. They had been training for five days now, and he wasn't sure if it would be enough. But their food was running out, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to double back to Viridian City to buy more just to come back to train some more.

When something shifted in Butterfree's wings, Ash's attention was back on the battle. His wings had started glowing green slightly as Butterfree appeared to grow more tired. Ash turned to Samurai and brought it to his attention as the bug expert was surveying Pidgeotto pushing Pinsir back slightly before the Stag Beetle Pokémon reaffirmed his stance.

Once Samurai turned and saw Butterfree's wings, his eyes widened. "Ash Ketchum, do you have any idea what this means?"

"No, that's why I'm asking."

"Your Butterfree appears to house great potential. Only a modest portion of known Pokémon can learn this technique at all. You are quite lucky," Samurai explained.

"Technique?" Ash repeated. "What is it?"

"It is not learned, as of yet. Otherwise your Butterfree would surely try using it to restore itself. However, the move is called Mega Drain," Samurai said with a small amount of reverence. **(AN: Bear in mind that this is Gen 1, folks. And in the anime, TM moves are trial-and-error.)**

Ash looked with wonder, "Mega Drain? Sounds great! But… I think we'll have to leave soon."

"A shame," Samurai said. "I would've enjoyed seeing your Butterfree's full potential. How soon?"

Ash looked down, "Our supplies are running short, so… probably tomorrow."

"In that case, I had better give you my parting gift while I have the chance," Samurai walked into his cabin for a bit. After he came back out, he had a pocket-sized book in his hand. He handed it to Ash, and Ash read the title out loud.

"'The Novice's Guide to Type Advantage,' ha ha." Ash deadpanned.

"Do not scoff, Ash Ketchum," Samurai scolded. "Before anybody can be a master, they must first master the basics. Your redhead companion tells me that you tried using a Caterpie against a Pidgeotto not long ago. Take the book; I have long since memorized its teachings."

"But-"

Misty cut in, "Just take it, Ash! Besides, do you really want to pass up learning how to get an edge on Team Rocket?"

That made Ash pause, and he looked between Misty and Samurai. Groaning, he stuck the book into his pocket and said, "I'll read it later. For now, we should keep training."

Misty stood up, " _I'll_ help supervise the training; _you're_ reading it _now_!" She knew that if Ash didn't start now, he'd probably never get to it.

 **The Next Morning**

Ash and Misty had only gotten a few hours of sleep after training, because they needed to get back to traveling during the day. Ash had gotten through about half of the handbook, and after consulting Dexter (his Pokédex) and learning that Team Rocket's Pokémon were mainly Poison-types, he thought about catching a Pokémon that could beat them, or teaching a move to one of the ones he had.

As the duo and Pikachu left Viridian Forest towards Pewter City, they noticed that it was suspiciously quiet. Had Team Rocket given up and moved on?

Ash and Misty continued along the path, walking side-by-side. Suddenly, the ground they stepped on caved in and they screamed as they fell the short distance before groaning in pain as they hit the bottom.

"Ow…" Misty said. "Who'd leave a hole in the middle of the road?!"

Ash had a bad feeling and got his Poké Ball ready, "I can take a good guess."

Soon enough, a shadow eclipsed over them as Team Rocket looked down at them with the rising sun at their backs.

"Well, well," Jessie said, "looks like we caught some twerps."

"Pikachu! Thunder Shock!" Ash shouted without preamble. Team Rocket jumped back and the electricity hit the rim of the pit and fired skyward. Team Rocket peeked back down and saw that Ash and Misty were lying on the bottom of the pit with electricity buzzing around them.

"Next time…" Ash muttered, "try not to shock us too, Pikachu…"

The Rocket trio laughed at the state of the two Trainers, James saying, "And here I was worried that you were doing some super-secret training to get stronger!"

"Yeah-ha-ha! Guess ya'll always be a twoip Trainer!" Meowth added as he laughed and pointed.

"Knock it off!" Ash shouted from the bottom of the pit. Two Poké Balls flew up, "Pidgeotto, Gust attack! Butterfree, give it a boost with Whirlwind!"

"Spearow!"

"Koffing! Smokescreen!"

The two Pokémon were released at the same time and Koffing let out a cloud of smoke that blanketed Team Rocket before Pidgeotto and Butterfree were released and started beating their wings to kick up a mighty gale. The smoke was blown away, but Team Rocket, Spearow and Koffing had moved away from their previous location.

"Spearow, Take Down!"

"Koffing, Sludge attack!"

Pidgeotto got tackled in the back by Spearow, and Butterfree got hit from behind with a small stream of sludge. Pidgeotto managed to stay in the air after that, but Butterfree's wings were too heavy to fly now.

Ash managed to pull himself out of the pit with Misty's help, since he had boosted her out first. He looked and saw Butterfree's state before calling him back. He looked at Pikachu still on his shoulder and said, "Pikachu, go! Thunder Shock!"

Pikachu leaped off of Ash's shoulder and shot bolts of electricity at Spearow and Koffing. Spearow flitted out of the way, but Koffing wasn't fast enough, so he got zapped before flopping to the ground. From nearby, a return beam shot out before two Poké Balls flew out. Both the beam and the Poké Balls came from the nearby bushes.

"Koffing, return!" James shouted. "Go, Mankey!"

Jessie also spoke, "Why not make it a party? Go, Ekans use Glare!"

"I'm not letting you get my bag again!" Misty shouted as she reached in, holding her backpack close this time. She took out a Poké Ball, "Misty calls, Staryu! Tackle attack on the Spearow!"

A dark gold, metallic looking starfish Pokémon came out. Ash didn't get much chance to get a closer look, since it took off spinning in the air towards Spearow. Seeing that Misty's Pokémon was handling Spearow, Ash called to Pidgeotto, "Pidgeotto, use Wing Attack on Mankey!" He had read that Flying-types had the advantage against Fighting-types.

Pidgeotto dove down and slapped Mankey on his side as he swept by. Mankey glared up, but wasn't completely enraged yet. He ran off with Pidgeotto chasing him, appearing to look for something.

Meanwhile, Ash was worried about Pikachu, who seemed to be paralyzed by Ekans' Glare as she slithered closer. Thinking fast, Ash hurriedly threw out his last Pokémon, Rattata.

"Rattata, Quick Attack!"

The Mouse Pokémon charged along the ground and tackled Ekans in the side of her face, throwing off her concentration. Pikachu was freed from the paralysis and got back to trying to zap Ekans.

As they moved along, they heard Pidgeotto crying out and Mankey was now chasing _him_ with a rock the size of his body clutched in his hands. Ash pointed at Mankey, "Pikachu, Thunder Shock on Mankey!"

Pikachu launched the electric attack at Mankey, who was too weighed down to dodge, and Mankey's arms and legs quivered before he fell down, dropping the rock on top of himself.

"Mankey, return!" James called from a different location. Soon after, another Pokémon was released from the bushes. The mass of white energy formed into Jessie's Beedrill. Another return beam shot out to retrieve Spearow, who was now being double teamed by Staryu and Pidgeotto. After that, there was a brief scuffle in the bushes.

"I told ya, I don't wanna go out yet!"

"Tough! Get out there!"

Meowth was thrown out of the bushes soon after, landing flat on his face. Staryu landed and Misty ordered, "Staryu, Swift attack!" Meowth quickly ran away, dropping to all fours, and the stars started following him. Pidgeotto was diving down at him now, but Meowth realized the advantage he had and jumped up, claws extended. Gripping Pidgeotto, he switched their positions by twisting him around. The stars hit Pidgeotto's back, which was still hurt by Spearow's Take Down and Pidgeotto fell unconscious.

"Pidgeotto, return!" Ash called. "Way to go, Misty."

Misty shouted, "Don't blame me! Focus on the battle! Staryu, Tackle Meowth!"

Meowth screamed, his feeling of triumph gone as Staryu span and chased after him. Pikachu and Rattata were having a hard time with Beedrill and Ekans. Ekans was damaged a bit already, but she was much more experienced than Pikachu. He was trying to land an electric attack, but Ekans always curved her body out of the way or went underground.

Rattata landed a few hits on Beedrill, but nothing was getting through Beedrill's stingers as he raised them to guard. After taking a Twineedle attack, it seemed to be over for her as a purple color spread across her muzzle. Ash was about to call her back, but a red aura flared around her and her eyes started glowing the same color.

"That color… What's happening?" He held up his Pokédex while he still watched Pikachu's battle with Ekans.

 ** _"Rattata's ability: Guts. When afflicted with an ailment, Rattata's power increases greatly."_**

At that moment, Rattata bared her fangs and leaped towards Beedrill. He crossed his stingers again, but Rattata bit into one of them and it started cracking. Dexter picked this up and spoke since Ash was still pointing the Pokédex at the battle.

 ** _"Rattata's signature move: Hyper Fang. Channeling energy to its teeth, Rattata can crack stone with this attack."_**

"Wow! That's amazing!" Ash cheered.

Beedrill was frantically trying to shake off the glowing Rattata, but Jessie intervened, "Beedrill, return!" Once he was back in the ball, and Rattata fell to the ground, she added, "Meowth! Do something intelligent!"

Meowth was about to reply when his feline ears picked up something in the distance. He stopped, ducking Staryu's Tackle before turning his head further down the path. Soon, he got a panicked look on his face.

"Jessie, call back Ekans! We gotta blast off!"

James questioned from out of sight, "What is it?" But then soon, the humans of the group could hear sirens in the distance.

"Da police!" Meowth shouted as he ran back into the bushes. Jessie returned Ekans to her Poké Ball and Ash and Misty heard Jessie's and James' retreating shout as they rustled the bushes returning to the forest, "We'll call this a draw, but we'll get your Pikachu yet!"

Ash and Misty let out a sigh of relief as Officer Jenny rode up on her motorcycle with a bearded man in the sidecar. The two of them called back their Pokémon before walking up to the adults that just showed up. The man picked up the rock and seemed to be checking its condition.

Officer Jenny raised an eyebrow, "Sir, is this the 'property' that you said was stolen?"

"Pewter City souvenirs," the man answered simply. "I sell them to travelers."

"Oh really?" Officer Jenny held out her hand, "May I see your vendor's license, then?"

The bearded man suddenly started shifting away, "Uh, I left it when I went with you."

Before Jenny could question further, Ash called out, "Hey! Officer Jenny!" After she turned her attention to Ash and Misty, the man ran off with surprising speed for the rock he was carrying.

"Hm? Do I know you?" she asked as Ash walked closer.

Ash tilted his head, "Don't you remember? You helped me in Viridian City."

Jenny thought for a moment before she held up her finger, "Oh! You must've met my younger sister!"

"Sister?" Ash and Misty asked.

Jenny took a photo out of a pocket, "Everyone in my family is a police officer, and we're all named Jenny." She held up the photo which showed well over a dozen Officer Jennys smiling for the camera.

"Whoa…" Ash said. Unfortunately, the bizarre photo caused his young mind to forget to tell her that they saw Team Rocket.

* * *

"Arrrgh!" Jessie exclaimed. "We were so close, and the police just _had_ to show up right then and there!"

"I dunno, Jess," Meowth said. "A lot 'o our own Pokémon were injured badly. D'ya really tink me an' Ekans coulda cleared out three Pokémon ourselves? Da Rattata was poisoned, but it coulda done some serious damage before it went down."

James held his rose as he thought, "Hmph, we'll just have to be more careful about triggering that one's ability. Use a different Pokémon other than Beedrill. Spearow and even you, Meowth, could make quick work out of it."

Meowth glared, "Hey, whaddya mean, 'even me-'owth?"

"Face it, Meowth," Jessie said. "You've gotten a little stronger and faster from the training, but you're still the weak link."

"Did _you_ finish off dat Pidgeotto?"

"Spearow softened it up with Take Down."

"Hey if it weren't for me, the three of us'd be behind bars," Meowth countered.

James sighed, "Right, but this means the twerps will be sticking around Pewter City for at least a day. Should we try to stake them out in disguise? If we raise a ruckus in the city, the police could get called on us again."

"More training?" Jessie offered.

Meowth crossed his arms and tilted his head, "Maybe a little of both. We'll need ta take down those twerps quick if we wanna catch Pikachu, before they can call for help. But we'll need ta get a read on where they're goin' if we wanna stay on 'em."

"Are you sure we should spend so much effort on _one_ Pokémon?" James asked. "If the Boss finds out we've been just chasing one group of kids, he might-"

Meowth thought about it while James was talking and interrupted, "We just got da Boss a haul o' Pokémon, so he'll be off our backs for a bit. But we should still keep our eyes peeled for any rare and/or useful Pokémon dat we can steal ta keep da Boss happy."

"Well then, it's settled," Jessie said, taking her three Poké Balls and pushing them into James' hands. "James, you see what you can do about getting our Pokémon and Meowth stronger. I'm going to go into town disguised and see if I can listen in on whatever the twerps are planning."

James nodded, while Meowth sweatdropped. Jessie focused on speed when training her Pokémon, and she was in charge of training Meowth last, with Mankey's help. So James' power training would probably be a lot rougher. As Jessie walked off to get some clothes from the balloon, Meowth turned to James with a nervous laugh.

"Heh-heh… Uh, I'm feelin' a little under da weather, so could I-"

"Not a chance."

Meowth let out a sigh, "Well, worth a shot…"

* * *

An hour after Ash and Misty had encountered Team Rocket, they were having lunch in a diner while they waited for their Pokémon to be restored. Ash was seething as he ate his rice, "Oh, that Flint! Trying to make a fool out of me!"

Earlier, the same bearded man that had called Officer Jenny had led them to the Poké Center. But after he had heard that Ash was interested in taking the League Challenge and that he was going to challenge Brock, he laughed at him. And then he laughed some more when Ash said that he was going to beat him.

Misty said to Ash as she ate her own food, "Do you really think you can _win_? Gym Leaders are different from your everyday Pokémon Trainer. They're much, much tougher!" Ash paused his eating and she said, "I'll tell you what, Ash. If you ask me really nicely, I'll help you out."

Ash finished off his rice as he said, with a full mouth, "I don't need any help."

This shocked Misty and she said, "Is that _so_?" She stood up from her seat and grabbed her backpack, "Fine with me! There's no way you'll beat Brock in the Pewter City Gym! Hmph!"

After she left, Ash realized that she left him with the bill and started screaming for her to come back. Nearby, a woman in a sky blue dress with white pumps and a wide-brimmed, white sun hat took a sip of her low-fat cinnamon latté before commenting, "Whiny twerp."

Jessie had heard all that she needed to hear by following the two children as they left the Poké Center. The boy twerp wanted to be a Pokémon master and was aiming to win the Pokémon League regional championships. That meant that after Pewter City, the nearest Gym would be at Cerulean City, past Mt. Moon.

Jessie grinned behind her cup, 'Excellent. We can corner them at the mountain and they'll have nowhere to run.'

* * *

Once Jessie got back to the camp, she saw a rather bizarre sight. Both Spearow and Beedrill were repeatedly hitting a slightly moss-covered log with Fury Attack, with a small pile of similar logs nearby. Koffing was inhaling a large amount of air before shooting it out to ram at high speed into a log planted into a small hole in the ground, causing it to creak and the freshly dug ground to shift. Ekans was constricting around a log, trying to shatter it with the strength of her body. Meowth was struggling to lift a 10-pound dumbbell with both paws as Mankey was atop a log planted in the ground while tossing half of another one from hand to hand, catching it while trying to not drop it.

Jessie took off her hat, revealing her hair to be tied into a tight bun, "What is _this_?"

James looked at her as if the answer was obvious, "Strength training. It was pretty difficult to come up with one for Koffing, but when I saw him dodge that Pidgeotto's attack that one time, it gave me an idea for boosting his speed and power at the same time. Mankey's is also dual training, but with dexterity. Meowth, I just wanted to see if he could lift something heavier than he is."

"Any results?"

James grinned and called out, "Beedrill, let's show Jessie your new move!" Beedrill buzzed and moved away from his and Spearow's punching log (that is, hole-punching log). James turned to Mankey, who had already moved to the pile of logs and hefted one with two hands.

Beedrill crossed his stingers in front of him as if concentrating. Soon, Beedrill's Twineedles glimmered briefly before narrowing to be more blade-like. The edges also glowed with a white light, seeming to make them sharper.

"All right, Mankey, pull!"

Mankey snorted and heaved the log like a two-handed javelin towards Beedrill. As the log flew closer, Beedrill flew forward and drove a blade-stinger through the log. As he flew along its underside he cut through it like a hot knife through butter.

Jessie's eyes widened as she watched the split halves of the log fall to the ground. "What's that move called?" she asked.

Meowth managed to lift the dumbbell for the tenth time the entire training session as he said in a strained voice, "Beedrill said it's called Swords Dance. Anyway, didja find out what Twoip and Twoipette're up to?"

"Badges," Jessie answered. "Turns out the little twerp wants to be a Pokémon master. So, he's going to be going from town to town to get badges to compete. The nearest one after Pewter City is Cerulean, so he'll have to pass through Mt. Moon. We lie in wait…"

"Spring a trap where they can't call for help…" James continued with a slightly sinister grin.

Meowth dropped the dumbbell with a sigh of relief before looking up with a grin, "An' take Pikachu."

* * *

 **For the record, I know what Swords Dance does in the games, and that it's not that. So, for posterity's sake let's say that, unknown to Team Rocket, it's actually a mixture of Swords Dance and Cut. Now that that's settled, see you next time.**

 **-AJ203**


	4. Chapter 4: The Best Laid Plans

**All right, this account is still on hiatus, but I happened to have this chapter mostly done and studying is boring, so I figured I'd post it in time for Halloween. For now, I'm following the choice on the poll that has the most votes, number 1.**

 **EDIT: Changing the notes format to include my new system.**

 **EDIT 2: Changed the "written words" font to match later entries.**

 **Enjoy your "treat," and Happy Halloween!**

* * *

Chapter 4: The Best Laid Plans

The next morning in Pewter City saw Ash furiously flipping through the handbook that Samurai had given him as he sat up in his bed at the Poké Center with Pikachu nearby. Flint wound up helping Pikachu recover after his loss to Brock yesterday and explained about Brock's situation with his family.

Regardless, after a brief slump, Ash had renewed determination to defeat Brock. But he had to admit; he had been a bit stubborn about using Pikachu in the Rock-type Gym, just because Brock had said he couldn't win with Pikachu. So he was searching through the guide today to see if he went wrong somewhere.

"Rock-types, Rock-types, Rock-types… Ah!" Ash found the page in the latter half of the guide and read the type's strengths and weaknesses.

 **"Moves of this type are strong against: Fire, Flying, Bug, Ice**

 **"Pokémon of this type are weak to: Grass, Water, Fighting, Ground**

 **"*Addendum: A majority of known Rock-type Pokémon are also Ground-type. See Pg. 19 for details."**

Ash turned to the page and read the information there.

 **"Moves of this type are strong against: Electric, Fire, Poison, Rock**

 **"Moves of this type have no effect against: Flying**

 **"Pokémon of this type are weak to: Grass, Water, Ice**

 **"Pokémon of this type are immune to: Electric"**

"Wait a second…" Ash took out Dexter and pressed a few buttons to go to Onix's information. When he got to the type displayed, he dropped the guide and Pokédex on the bed, falling back on the bed at the same time.

"No _wonder_ you were having so much trouble, Pikachu!" he said, holding his hand over his eyes in embarrassment. "I tried to use Electric moves on a Rock/ _Ground_ -type! Samurai was right, I _am_ a novice!"

As Pikachu comforted Ash, his gloved hand slid down his face. For one thing, it was _blatantly_ obvious why Misty offered to help Ash, given her Water Pokémon being strong to both Rock and Ground Pokémon. Second, he realized that more than ever, he couldn't accept it.

Ash abruptly sat up, causing Pikachu to jump away slightly. Ash clenched his fists, "Misty thinks she needs to hold my hand through this, but I'll show her! I'll win my first badge by myself, with Pokémon _I'm_ raising!"

After the speech, he looked at Pikachu, who tilted his head as he looked back. If Ash tried using Pikachu again, he'd only get hurt. Ash let out a sigh as he said, "Sorry buddy, looks like you'll have to sit this one out."

Pikachu looked down, "Cha…"

* * *

Jessie, James and Meowth were sitting around their hot air balloon near the foot of the mountain, waiting for Ash and Misty to make their way into the caverns, but a full day had come and gone with no appearance.

"What's takin' 'em so long?" Meowth whined.

James wondered aloud, "Surely the twerp couldn't have taken this long at something as simple as the Rock-type Gym?"

"Ugh, we're wasting time here," Jessie growled. "If there's no Pokémon to steal, we might as well train."

Meowth started panicking. He hated Jessie's and James' drill sergeant attitude during training sessions. He'd already had to go through it yesterday, and he'd do anything to get out of doing it two days in a row.

Frantically looking around, Meowth said while pointing, "Look! A science guy is heading toward the- eh?" There really was someone heading for the cave. Jessie and James leaned forward from the cliff they were waiting at and observed the person trying to light a lantern. He was of average height and skinny build with brown messy hair and round glasses.

"If there's something worth a scientist coming here for…" Jessie said.

James grinned, "… then it must be something worth stealing."

Meowth let out a breath of relief, before waving Jessie and James to get back to the balloon, "C'mon, let's get some disguises an' see what's what!"

* * *

At sunset, Ash returned with Pikachu at his side to the Pewter City Gym, pushing the doors open so hard that they bashed against the walls.

"I'm back!"

Brock stepped forward from the shadows of the Gym, "Haven't you learned your lesson yet?"

Ash stepped forward aggressively, "Ah, we're ready for you this time, Brock!"

"Ha, we'll see," Brock said.

The arena was set up a moment later and Brock and Ash had taken up their positions again. Misty had also come in to watch from the balcony overlooking the arena.

"Two Pokémon!"

"Got it!"

Brock took out a Poké Ball, "I'll start with… Geodude! Go!" From the Poké Ball, the Rock Pokémon came out, being little more than a mid-sized, faced boulder with somewhat bulky arms.

Ash twisted his hat backwards, getting pumped, and threw out his own Poké Ball. "Rattata, I choose you!" The Poké Ball opened and the Mouse Pokémon was released, growling at the Geodude.

Brock raised an eyebrow, "A Pikachu yesterday, and now a Rattata? Are you some kind of Mouse Pokémon Trainer?" He asked with a chuckle.

Up in the balcony, Misty muttered, "Come on, Ash, use your head!" Next, she was surprised as she was suddenly surrounded by several of Brock's younger siblings also there to watch the battle.

"You'll be sorry if you underestimate Rattata!" Ash pointed forward, "Rattata, Hyper Fang, now!"

Rattata bared her fangs and darted forward, Geodude made to grab for her, but she circled around to his back and jumped on, biting down on the back of his head. Brock's Pokémon shouted in pain as cracks started forming on his skin, "Geoooo!"

Ash smiled, "Rock Pokémon might be tough, but they're way too slow! And Hyper Fang can crack stone!"

"Geodude, Seismic Toss!" Brock ordered. Geodude clasped his hands over Rattata's body and flew into the air before flipping and plummeting down.

Ash frantically ordered, "Rattata, use Quick Attack to get away!"

Rattata squirmed and tried to shake out of the grip. She finally managed to get out, and avoid crashing, but still skidded against the ground as she shot out of Geodude's grip before rolling off her back and getting up. Once she was free, the Rock Pokémon halted his descent and faced Rattata again. But his floating was shaky and he was breathing hard. Soon, he fell over, too exhausted to continue.

"Whoa…" Misty said as Brock's brothers and sisters were shocked. "Nice going…"

Even Brock was surprised for a moment before he held out a Poké Ball, "Return, Geodude."

"So, it seems you've planned for this better," he commented as he put his Poké Ball out and took out a different one. "But, you're still no match for Onix! Go!"

The massive rock snake appeared on the battlefield and growled as he looked down at Rattata. The Mouse Pokémon shook a bit, but bared her teeth with a growl and stood her ground.

"Hyper Fang, now!"

"Onix, Tackle!"

Onix dove headlong towards the ground, creating a small crater in the stone arena. Rattata dodged back and then jumped forward, biting down on the side of Onix's head. However, unlike last time, there was no visible damage.

Brock held out his hand, "Onix, Tackle again sideways!"

Onix drove his head sideways and rammed Rattata straight through one of the boulders of the arena before smashing her into the ground. Once he lifted back up and the dust cleared, Rattata was unconscious.

"Rattata, return!" Ash called as he held out her Poké Ball.

Brock crossed his arms, "Onix is much stronger than Geodude. A simple Hyper Fang won't be enough. Are you giving up again, Ash?"

"No way!" Ash shouted as he took out another Poké Ball. "Butterfree, I choose you!"

Butterfree was released into the field, fluttering in the air. Brock raised an eyebrow, confused at the poor match-up to his Onix. But he didn't want to underestimate any hidden tricks Ash might have.

"Butterfree," Ash instructed, "watch out for that Onix's tail, it'll catch you if you're not careful."

Brock didn't let his worry show as he said, "You must be a pretty bad strategist to pit a Bug/Flying-type against Onix. Don't you know that Rock-types resist Flying-types?"

"Who said I was going to use a Flying-type move? Butterfree, Stun Spore, now!" Ash ordered.

Butterfree flew up above Onix and started scattering the yellow powder from his wings.

"Onix, go underground!" Brock said in response.

Onix ducked under the powder and went straight through the rock arena and the floor of the Gym underneath. The spores fell uselessly on the ground. Butterfree stopped scattering them after a while and looked around.

Brock held up his hand, "Onix, Bind it!"

As the ground burst, Ash yelled, "Butterfree, dodge!"

Butterfree fluttered away at rapid speed as Onix's head started rearing out of the ground, but then the ground burst a second time where he was dodging. Onix's tail came out and wrapped around Butterfree.

"No!" Ash yelled. Onix's tail started squeezing Butterfree, gradually crushing him, and Ash said, "Butterfree! This is the only chance you'll have! Mega Drain!"

"Fre-e-e-e!"Butterfree strained as he was held by Onix, but his wings started glowing.

"Free!" A green light started emitting from them and started drawing energy from Onix into his wings, causing the rock snake to start roaring in pain. Even as Butterfree was still bound, the bruising around his body was starting to heal.

"Onix!" Brock urgently said. "Let Butterfree go and go back underground!"

Ash ordered in retaliation, "Don't let it get away! Keep going!"

Onix uncoiled his tail and started pulling it back underground, but Butterfree flitted to Onix's head and used Mega Drain again. Onix started pulling his head back underground, but he found himself unable to move much anymore from having too much energy drained. He flopped over, still half underground, quivering a bit.

"Onix!" Brock shouted, worried.

Ash was about to order for Butterfree to finish Onix off, but he was suddenly grabbed and held in place by Brock's siblings. He looked around at them and one of them said, "You leave Onix alone! My brother worked hard to raise him, you big bully!"

Ash replied awkwardly, "Believe me, kid, I'm no bully."

"Stop it!" Brock said, "Get off, all of you. This is an official match, and we're going to finish it no matter what."

"But Brock," one of his sisters said, "we know that you love your Pokémon so much!"

"That's why we can't watch Onix suffer from another attack!" one of the brothers added.

Ash thought back to yesterday, where he surrendered to keep Pikachu from getting hurt too badly, and how today, he kept him out of battle to keep him safe. Brock was a Gym Leader. He wasn't allowed to surrender or keep his Pokémon out of battle. What if Ash had been forced to watch Onix finish crushing Pikachu until he couldn't take it anymore?

"Butterfree, return," Ash said after a brief pause. Butterfree turned towards Ash curiously, and then fluttered over to him. After that, Ash put down the two kids on his right arm before holding out Butterfree's Poké Ball, calling him back.

Brock stepped forward, "What do you think you're doing? This match isn't over yet, Ash."

"I'm not going to battle someone who doesn't want to battle," Ash said as he put down each of the children. "Maybe one day we can finish this battle. Until then."

Brock paused and then said, "Maybe…"

As Ash turned around to leave, Misty sighed, "He finally gets a break, and he decides to be a nice guy about it…"

Later, Ash was leaving Pewter City with Pikachu walking beside him. He had his hands clasped around the back of his head as he walked. While he felt that he'd done the right thing, it felt like a hollow victory.

"Ash! Hey, Ash!"

Ash turned around and saw Brock running to catch up to him. "Brock?"

Brock stopped for a bit to catch his breath once he reached Ash. Then he stood up and held out his hand, "Ash, you forgot this."

Ash looked at what Brock was holding and the badge in his hand led to Ash having his second traveling companion later that night.

* * *

Team Rocket was disguised as a group of scientists, Jessie dying her hair brown and tying it up into a bun while James died his black and tied it into a ponytail. Meowth simply wore swirl-patterned glasses that covered his large eyes, and a gray afro wig (complete with extra-large sideburns) to conceal his charm, ears and whiskers.

All three of them wore similar lab coats to their scientist acquaintance, Seymour, and wore conservative outfits consisting of button-up shirts/blouse and dull-colored pants/skirt with practical brown loafers on all of them. Meowth also wore a set of stuffed gloves, made to represent fake hands.

The trio stood with Seymour as they stared at the massive Moon Stone at the center of the chamber they'd followed the Clefairy to. Seymour was marveling at the sight of the moonlight glimmering off of the gathered fragments with the meteor. The Clefairy discovered them afterwards, but the Fairy Pokémon, along with the rest of its kind living in Mt. Moon were extremely friendly and welcoming.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket was already plotting how to get the Moon Stone out of there. That night, as they camped with the scientist and all the Clefairy and the others fell asleep, they were whispering to each other.

"Okay, how should we go about this?" James asked. "There's a handy skylight, but it's too heavy to tie to the balloon. Seriously, we ought to put something in there to enable lifting heavier loads and quicker getaways. Hot air balloons aren't made for speed."

Meowth countered, "Quit yer bellyachin'. We'll get ta dat later, but we're Team Rocket! We're inventive an' adapatable!"

"Well, it won't go through the portable transport; we'll have to take it to HQ ourselves," Jessie reminded them. "How are we supposed to get a half-ton rock all the way there?"

Meowth crossed his arms, the fake hands having been taken off, since they made him uncomfortable. He thought about how to best complete their new goal. The skylight was the best bet, but they'd need something special to get it through there.

'C'mon, old boy! You're a member of da great Team Rocket!' Meowth told himself. 'Ya can- Team Rocket. Rocket. Rock _ets_.'

Meowth grinned, "Jessie, have Ekans dig a chamber underneath the Moon Stone. Don't make it too deep, and make sure the top is fragile enough to be shattered, but not too much that the Moon Stone will just fall through. James, wit' me; we're goin' back ta get some supplies from da balloon. We'll be burnin' da midnight oil tonight."

* * *

Ash and company were traveling towards Mt. Moon, Brock accompanying Ash and Misty now. After his father, Flint, had accepted leadership of the Gym again and agreed to stay behind to look after Brock's brothers and sisters, Brock decided to go with Ash on his Pokémon journey, having his own plans to become the world's best Pokémon breeder.

Unknown to Misty at the time, Ash had decided to travel to Cerulean City since the next closest Gym was there. This time, he was determined to _earn_ his next badge, instead of getting one because he _would've_ won.

As they approached the entrance of the cave, they heard the sound of running along with a buzzing sound and screeches.

"Help! Help!" a voice cried out.

Soon, a man in a lab coat appeared with a lantern in hand and a Beedrill in hot pursuit. A few Zubats were also chasing both of them, having been startled awake by the Poison Bee Pokémon's buzzing and the man's shouting.

Regardless of why the situation occurred, Ash pointed forward, "Pikachu! Thunder Shock!"

Pikachu leapt off of Ash's shoulder and zapped the Beedrill, the Zubats, and Ash. The scientist had avoided it because he ducked down.

"NO-O-O-OT ME-E-E-E-E!" Ash cried as he was zapped.

Ash fell over as the Zubats and Beedrill retreated into the cave. Brock had a Poké Ball in his hand, shrinking it and putting it away.

Ash rubbed his head as he got up, "Are you okay?"

The scientist immediately got up, holding his still lit lantern, "You have to help me! The Moon Stone! I thought they were fellow scientists, but they were thieves!"

"Wait a minute, thieves? And that Beedrill…" Ash said to himself. When he and Misty put the pieces together, the two of them shouted "Team Rocket!"

"Team Who, now?" Brock asked.

"Where are they?" Misty asked, not paying Brock's question much mind.

Holding up his lantern and turning towards the cave, the scientist said "This way!"

The trio of Trainers followed him into the inky black depths, Ash asked, "Why would Team Rocket be after the Moon Stone, mister?"

"Never call me 'mister!'" the scientist snapped as they turned down a fork in the road. "I am Seymour! Seymour the scientist! These people must know about the Moon Stone's ability to power up Pokémon. They are working to steal it! I do not know how, nor do I know how long they've been working towards this goal until I found out. Once I did-"

"I said that we already had enough of a headache from the sleep-deprived nights, so I set my darling Beedrill on you," a new feminine voice spoke up in the darkness ahead. There was a sound akin to striking a match as a flare lit up in Jessie's hand, bathing the path ahead in a sinister red light. Ekans and Beedrill were on the ground in front of her and Spearow was on Jessie's shoulder, the four of them blocking the path.

"Well, fancy meeting you two here again, and you, Seymour, and…" She stared at Brock. "I'm afraid I'm not familiar with you… but not important. Was it these three that harmed you so much, Beedrill, darling?"

Beedrill buzzed in affirmation and Jessie smirked, "Go figure they'd show up the day that the final steps were being completed. You bunch must love drama as much as we do."

"You take that back!" Ash shouted. "We're nothing like you!"

"You steal Pokémon!" Misty added. "And you're stealing the Moon Stone too!"

Jessie shrugged with a smile as she held the flare, showing that she didn't care, "What can I say? Anything to get our Pokémon stronger is welcomed." It wasn't for the trio, specifically; it was for Team Rocket as a whole. Still, no need for the kids to know how deep Team Rocket runs.

Jessie threw the flare to the group's feet, and then lit another one dropping it a little bit in front of her, unofficially marking the arena with the light.

"If you want to stop us, just try it," she taunted. Despite her bravado, Jessie knew that she was vastly outnumbered in this match, adding to having no knowledge about Brock. She wouldn't win, but this was the big picture of the mission at stake here. She would stall them and relay any information on Brock to James and Meowth.

The trio needed no prompting to throw out their Pokémon.

"Butterfree, I choose you!"

"Misty calls, Staryu!"

"Go!"

Butterfree and Staryu appeared in the red light and a Zubat fluttered next to them. Ash asked, and Brock explained that he had caught one of them earlier.

Jessie smiled and swept her hand outward, "Ekans, Staryu! Spearow, Zubat! Beedrill, Butterfree! Stinger Formation!"

Her three Pokémon pursued their assigned targets, Beedrill taking the lead in the air with Ekans slithering across the ground and Spearow flying low in a three 'mon wedge formation. Beedrill attacked Butterfree with Twineedle, and Ekans and Spearow broke off to spread to their targets.

Jessie smirked as all three of her Pokémon engaged their opponents at the same time. Last time, her training had been mainly teaching her Pokémon to attack in formations (Meowth just got cardio and aerobic exercises). The Stinger formation was ideal for attacking groups of Pokémon lined up, the lead Pokémon 'piercing' the middle while the 'poison' behind them spreading to the other parts of the 'body' or wall of Pokémon. Each of them also had assigned attacks to start out with to keep the Pokémon busy, so Jessie could shift her attention to each part of the battle.

The Rocket Trio had foreseen that one of the two Pokémon Trainers could get caught alone. James came up with escape maneuvers, while Jessie figured out a way to initiate the battle without having to spend the extra seconds commanding all three Pokémon which move to use. When James had more than two Pokémon, he'd probably start coming up with his own offensive maneuvers.

"Butterfree, Whirlwind!" Ash ordered.

Brock added, "Zubat, double team, now!" **(1)**

The two flying Pokémon beat their wings and Beedrill and Spearow were knocked off balance in the air and blown away while Ekans burrowed underground and avoided the attack. Jessie also braced herself on one knee, low to the ground, determined to not just be knocked aside.

Misty noticed Ekans' retreat and said, as the wind died down, "Staryu, Water Gun down the hole!"

The Star Shaped Pokémon pointed its top point down towards the hole and started spraying water down. Soon, Ekans was forced to resurface as water gushed out of the hole she just created.

"Butterfree, Stun Spore!"

"Ekans, return!"

Before the yellow powder could descend, Ekans was recalled into her Poké Ball. Immediately after she was back in, Jessie called Ekans back out next to her, her other two Pokémon back and regrouped now.

Ash shouted, "Hey, you can't just call back a Pokémon and release it somewhere else!"

"Can and did, twerp. Deal with it," Jessie replied snidely.

While the battle started up again, Seymour had put out his lantern and was feeling his way along the wall next to the arena, where the light from the flares didn't reach. This was just a stall, he saw that. He had to get to the real object of importance here, the Moon Stone!

Jessie glanced and saw that Butterfree was starting to get a few clean hits on Beedrill. 'Time for the ace up my sleeve!'

"Beedrill, Swords Dance!"

Beedrill's stingers changed to blades (much quicker from repeated practice) and he slashed at Butterfree, putting the butterfly back on the defensive as he barely flitted back, getting a minor cut on his chest.

"Spearow!"

The cry got Jessie's attention, and she saw that Zubat had bitten into Spearow's neck. She held out the Poké Ball and called Spearow back, before releasing her again.

"Don't let that bat get the best of you!" She ordered. "Go get him with Scratch!"

Spearow flew forward again, and Jessie was about to turn to the others in battle, but she could've sworn that she saw an afterimage of a Zubat flying with Spearow. When she looked again, she saw only Spearow and Zubat fighting, so she turned her attention to Ekans and Staryu.

As the battle wore on, Ash was suspicious of Jessie's actions. Why was she alone? If James and even Meowth were here, this battle would be much easier on her and her Pokémon. And it wasn't like she was commanding them very efficiently, just keeping all three Pokémon engaged and busy.

'It's like she's not even trying to win…' Then it dawned on him. What Seymour had said; Team Rocket was after the Moon Stone. And Jessie had said the "final steps" were being completed.

"She's not! Misty, Brock! She's just stalling us while giving the others time to steal the Moon Stone!" Ash shouted.

Despite being exposed, Jessie laughed, "Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Took you long enough to figure it out! Even Seymour figured it out before you did!"

"Seymour?" Misty asked. She looked around, noticing that the scientist was gone, "Where did he go?!"

"Obviously, he saw through my ruse and went on ahead," Jessie explained. "Welp, there goes your guide! Have fun wandering the caves of Mt. Moon~"

Ash growled, and Jessie said, "Here, I'm feeling nice, so I'll leave you an extra flare since these two are about to go out." The Rocket agent lit another flare and tossed it to land at Ash's feet, where it was shown that the one there was indeed starting to burn with a smaller flame.

"I'd try to take Pikachu with me, but really, the Moon Stone is a much bigger prize," Jessie said as she recalled Spearow and Beedrill. She grabbed the Ekans' tail as it was offered to her and waved good bye, "Ciao, twerps!"

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered. He knew it wouldn't change the time they wasted, but it certainly made him feel better.

The electric attack zoomed towards Jessie, and she let go of Ekans' tail so the Snake Pokémon wouldn't get shocked too. She was Jessie's escape ticket. All of the electricity jolted through the agent's body, and she flopped down to the ground. Regardless, she muttered weakly with her eyes closed, "Ekans, take me to the rendezvous point. Burrow underground."

Ekans wrapped her tail around Jessie's left wrist and dragged her along as she burrowed through the earth and headed for the chamber of the Moon Stone.

Ash slapped his forehead, angry with himself, "How could I be so _stupid_?! Now we're lost and Seymour doesn't have any Pokémon to use against Team Rocket!"

"You can't beat yourself up about this, Ash," Brock said. "We were all fooled. Seymour led us this way before going on ahead. We'll just have to hope that there aren't any more turns."

Misty looked on ahead, hearing a hopping sound, and she saw Pikachu talking to a short figure near the perimeter of the light. "Actually, that may not be necessary."

* * *

"So, what _was_ your plan here?" James asked as Seymour was tied up nearby. "Seriously, how were you intending to get from Point A: Getting back to this chamber, to Point B: Stopping us?"

Seymour couldn't see without his glasses, which were in James' hands, but he glared where he heard the voice from. "You cannot take the Moon Stone. These Pokémon depend on it!"

"From what we've seen," Meowth said, "dey keep it as a centerpiece ta their dancin'. It's such a waste of a valuable rock. Team Rocket'll put it ta much better use. Do ya even know _how_ we're gonna do it? Ya overheard _one_ chat we were havin'."

Seymour struggled against his bindings, "It doesn't matter how you're going to do it! The point is that you're going to be stopped! The villains never win!"

"Heh!" Meowth laughed. "Ya think dis is a kiddie show? Da bad guys can win if da good guys're outclassed, which ya are."

After he said that, the ground burst a few feet away. Ekans emerged and Jessie was pulled up from the hole by the snake's tail. Her clothes were burnt and her hair was frazzled, the signs of an electric attack. At the very least, she had recovered a bit on the way there, her eyes open now.

"Hah… Are the preparations complete?" She wearily asked, looking at her two teammates from her position on the ground.

James nodded as he dropped Seymour's glasses before heading over and helping her up. As he supported her on his shoulder, he said, "Long since. We can leave any time."

"No! No! You can't win!" Seymour shouted after hearing this.

Jessie winced as she felt a headache from the loud noise, "Somebody shut him up."

Meowth slapped a piece of duct tape over Seymour's mouth, who continued his muffled shouting, then he said, "Dang, Jess, those twerps really did a number on ya. Ya wanna rest before we make our getaway?"

"I can sleep when we're done with this mission!" Jessie snapped back. Then she caught herself and sighed; the sleep deprivation was getting to her. All three of them had somewhat dark circles under their eyes, Jessie's concealed by make-up. "Sorry," Jessie said. "But I just want to rub this victory in those twerps' faces for many encounters to come after that shock therapy." Remembering Brock, she said, "Oh. Right, the twerp duo is now a trio. There's a tall twerp with them, only known Pokémon being a Zubat. He probably has more."

"Dat's a problem. Seven-ta-six before, an' who-knows-how-many-ta-six now?" Meowth said with crossed arms. "Let's skip da motto, shelve da posturin', an' get outta here."

"You're not going anywhere!"

"Pika pika!"

Team Rocket turned to see Ash, Misty and Brock there with Pikachu and a Clefairy in front of them. Meanwhile, Seymour looked happy to hear them, even with his mouth still taped shut.

Jessie growled, "How did you get here so fast?!"

"Easy, really," Misty explained with a smirk. "This Clefairy here led us straight to the Moon Stone after it found out what we were here to do. That's what you get for terrorizing the local Pokémon."

James gritted his teeth and shifted Jessie to carry her princess-style (much to Jessie's surprise). He and Meowth ran to the Moon Stone and jumped on top, James needing more time to prepare for the jump with Jessie's extra weight.

James put Jessie on her feet again and supported her on his shoulder again as he took out a Poké Ball. "So what if you got here sooner than we expected? You still won't stop us! Mankey, go! You know the plan!"

Mankey appeared and Ash and the others got ready for battle. But, surprisingly, Mankey didn't charge them. He just raised his fist and jumped up before dropping and punching the ground with his recently learned Mega Punch move.

The ground under Mankey's fist immediately cracked and caved downward, the cracks spreading all around the Moon Stone. Mankey jumped onto the Moon Stone as well before the ground crumbled and Team Rocket dropped along with the Moon Stone and its gathered fragments.

The trio of Trainers ran up to the edge of the pit, looking down. Ash wondered, "What was _that_?"

But down below, there was the sound of something rumbling and a red light started glowing from the bottom. Jessie and James' voices echoed up.

"Prepare for trouble,"

"Make it double,"

As they went on, a round shape became more definite. It was approaching up, and the light was right beneath it.

"To protect the world from devastation,"

"To unite all peoples within our nation,"

Soon, the Rocket trio could be seen on the large object, riding on a metal platform atop it.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love,"

"To extend our reach to the stars above,"

The object rose above the hole, and it was revealed that the object they were riding on was the Moon Stone itself, contained within an apparatus. The machine had a bowl on the bottom, containing the Moon Stone within. Securing the meteor were coils of metal that plugged into the round platform that Team Rocket was standing atop.

"Jessie,"  
"James"

Bordering the bowl at the bottom were eight medium sized rockets outputting enough force to slowly rise up. At the top, James was still supporting Jessie and Meowth was at the controls, one lever on top for 8-directional steering (only able to change the direction of its rise) and a lever at the side of the console for controlling the thrust.

Ash and his friends were so stunned by the sight of the contraption that they didn't even think to attack while Team Rocket finished their motto, putting the device in hover above the hole in the ground.

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, dat's right! Sorry, we just couldn't resist a grand entrance before our big exit."

That snapped Ash and the others out of their trance, and Brock shouted, "We won't let you get away!" He took out a Poké Ball and shouted, "Onix! Grab that flier!"

The rock snake appeared with a roar and made to grab the Moon Stone with his mouth, but James pointed, "Mankey, Karate Chop!"

Mankey leaped forward with a screech and started repeatedly punching Onix's face once he was on it. Onix flailed around, trying to shake off the Fighting Pokémon. Soon, Onix took too many hits to the head and started toppling over. James recalled Mankey off of Onix's head once Brock's Pokémon was down.

"Pikachu, destroy that machine with Thunderbolt!"

"Pikaaaa-CHUUUU!" Ash's Pokémon shot the bolt of electricity at the machine, but Team Rocket just smiled and let it hit the machinery. The electricity buzzed around for a bit, and then seemed to get sucked into the metal skin.

Meowth checked the dial of electricity and noticed that it was a little over half full now. Their original plan had just been to get away from Mt. Moon, but now they could get all the way to headquarters and fly back here, if they wanted to. He smirked and said, "Thanks for toppin' us off, Pikachu. We couldn't get much electricity all da way out here ta power our machine, but now we'll be able ta fly all da way where we need ta go."

"What?!" Ash shouted as Pikachu exclaimed as well.

Jessie smiled, "I told you we figured you'd show up towards the end of preparation, so we upgraded our machinery with a Zap Sapper!"

"Well how about a water attack?!" Misty shouted, throwing out two Poké Balls. "Staryu, Starmie! Combined Water Gun!"

The two Pokémon appeared (one being like two purple Staryus on top of each other with a more elegantly cut gem), and they shot their water attacks. They managed to put out one of the rockets, but Meowth just boosted the thrust a bit to compensate and pressed a button. A discharge of electricity traveled down both streams of water shocking Misty's Pokémon badly. Both star-shaped Pokémon flopped down, their gems blinking.

James playfully put a finger to the side of his face and looked up in thought, "Oh, did we forget to mention that we could discharge it and zap you back with your own electricity? _Silly us_." He took out a Poké Ball and a blue rose. "Koffing, go."

"We _won't_ let you get away and that's final!" Ash shouted. "Brock, Misty, call out all your remaining Pokémon at once!"

James simply ordered, "Koffing, Wall of Destruction."

As their Pokémon were appearing, Koffing shot forward and spat Sludge in front of everybody's feet, the splotches forming a crescent line in front of them as well as painting the doorway. Adding to that, he shot a thin cloud of Smog in front of them too. Still, Ash and the others could see them, and all their Pokémon, (except Misty's, since the only Pokémon she had fit for battle was Goldeen, who couldn't battle on land) were out and ready for battle.

"It's six-on-five," Ash said. "We'll stop you!" **(2)**

James shook his head with a grin as he held his rose, "Silly child, why would we risk the Moon Stone over some petty battle?" When James flicked a particular thorn on the rose, the petals became wreathed in blue flames. He tossed it towards them, and Brock saw that it was on a collision course with the gas in front of them. He took a step back in shock as he realized what the name that James called entailed.

"Quick! Everybody get back!" he shouted.

Ash, Misty, Brock and the Pokémon barely managed to retreat into the tunnel as the Smog ignited, which in turn ignited the circle of Sludge drawn along the floor and doorway, detonating the grime and causing the doorway to be blocked by collapsed rubble.

Team Rocket grinned and Jessie said, "'Wall of Destruction?' _That's_ what you named the new escape maneuver you've been training Koffing for when we first started staying here?"

"Caves everywhere. Simple enough to cause one to collapse," James explained before shrugging. "And I like good names for my maneuvers; sue me."

Meowth looked at Seymour, who was staring with wide, disbelieving eyes. Meowth grinned at him, "What was dat you were sayin' earlier? 'Da villains never win?' Well, look at us, cuz we're escapin' wit' our prize."

The Rocket trio's gaze turned to the entrance, as they saw the rubble beginning to come looser. On the other side, Brock had ordered Geodude to clear out the rubble as fast as he could. Ash and Brock themselves were also helping.

"Hm, we shouldn't make it a near-miss for them," James said. "They could still follow us if we're not gone. Koffing, return."

"Shelve posturin' and get outta here it is," Meowth said as he pulled the side lever to increase the rockets to half of maximum power. They flew straight up through the skylight and turned before heading off into the night.

* * *

Not even twenty seconds later, Ash and the others finally cleared enough rubble to pass through, and they were stunned to see that Team Rocket was already gone.

Seeing Seymour still tied up, they rushed over and untied him. He took off the duct tape and looked around for his glasses. Clefairy found them and brought them to him. Once he saw that it was a Clefairy, he just looked away.

"They got away… The Moon Stone… It's gone." Seymour sounded defeated.

Clefairy turned and looked down the hole before jumping floatily down. Once it returned, it was holding one of the fragments. Evidently, Team Rocket had only made the craft big enough to carry the main Moon Stone itself. Clefairy set it aside and hopped back down the hole. Soon, more Clefairy were coming back up, gathering the Moon Stone fragments and setting them aside in a pile. It was a small pile, but the Fairy Pokémon seemed to be happy with it.

With nothing more that they could do, Ash and the others apologized to Seymour and the Clefairy before leaving out the other side of Mt. Moon. Seymour also returned to Pewter City (evidently, he worked for the Pewter City Museum). With their direction set (and a taunt from Gary written on the sign only enraging Ash further after the events of that day), the group continued on to Cerulean City.

* * *

 **And that's a wrap! Wow, this chapter wound up pretty long; good thing I had most of it done already. Well, as it turns out, a little competence can go a long way. Since they didn't get stuck in that pitfall trap outside Pewter City, Team Rocket got to Mt. Moon much earlier, allowing them to sneak in and plan a much more thorough plan to steal the Moon Stone.**

 ***rant*  
I mean seriously, tie the Moon Stone to a sleigh and ride it down the mountain? Ignoring how ridiculously dangerous that is, what were they going to do at the bottom? Tie it to the balloon? Plan your getaway better.**

 **Also, the whole staying and gloating thing, always sticking together, except in rare occasions; what are they trying to accomplish? You are a three-man (and 'mon) team. Be more efficient! Also, if you have your main target in your possession, why not leave? Or send somebody to get away with it? It's something that I fixed earlier in this story, and while Team Rocket could never (in my opinion) give up gloating altogether, they do it from much more secure positions.**

 **In the canon, they learn from their mistakes over time, but never seem to keep or improve any of the legitimately** ** _good_** **ideas that they have, and keep repeating mistakes of being too cocky.**

 **I know it's a "kiddie show," and the good guy always wins in those, but come ON! They are smart enough to build** ** _giant robots_** **and machines to do just about anything in the** ** _middle of nowhere_** **! Have them learn from their mistakes sooner!  
*/rant***

 **Notes:**

 **1\. As in "team up against the opponent," not the illusory clone move.**

 **2\. The numbers are different since Meowth counts himself in the match-up and Ash doesn't.**

 **So, see you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	5. Chapter 5: A Real Trainer

**So, the first chapter that marks my coming back to the writing scene. I know that some people might complain that I write for this story more than others, but this one's the easiest to write for, since FtM requires playing the game alongside it, and KI: WoN, I'm admittedly a bit stuck on, since I'm still working out the kinks of the main story (the rest of the prologue's worked out, though). Still, you can expect an update or two on both those stories during the break (** ** _maybe_** **more).**

 **Anywho, my last exam is tomorrow, and once I'm back home, I'll be able to focus on writing. But once the Spring Semester comes around, it's back to the books.**

* * *

Chapter 5: A Real Trainer

Team Rocket flew all night and they reached Team Rocket Headquarters as the sun started rising. A hatch in the roof opened, and Meowth put the carrier in hover before reducing the thrust and slowly lowering the Moon Stone into the building. He rubbed his eyes as he turned around, seeing Jessie and James asleep on the metal platform, "Hey, you two, wake up and look alive. We're here."

James woke up first and shook Jessie's shoulder. The two of them woke up and stretched as they descended into the castle-like building. The interior was much more high-tech than the outside, and the three of them stiffened slightly at seeing their boss standing near the landing platform. They hadn't expected to see him in person.

The man stood in his orange suit with matching slacks and a yellow shirt with a green vest and red tie. He was a little over six feet tall with close-cut brown hair slicked back. The most imposing thing about him though was his expression, seeming to be set in a permanent scowl, even though he wasn't frowning. Not radiating anger, but commanding. This was Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket.

Jessie and James hurriedly straightened themselves out. Jessie noticed that the makeup concealing her bags was gone, but decided there was no time to fix herself up. Applying makeup in front of the boss would be unprofessional.

Meowth set the Moon Stone carrier on the ground and deactivated the rocket thrusters. The trio jumped off the platform and landed in front of their boss, standing at attention immediately afterwards.

"Boss," Jessie said. "We didn't expect for you to come in person."

Giovanni looked at the Moon Stone in the metal apparatus, "Well, when you three called and said that you had the Moon Stone, I'll admit that I didn't believe you." The trio cringed, but Giovanni continued with a smirk, "I came to see for myself. And to my delight, it seems that you indeed brought what you promised. In this… device. What is this?"

"An invention of ours, sir," James answered. "Due to a crop of Trainers repeatedly getting in our way, we needed a way to get the Moon Stone out of Mt. Moon, and fast."

Giovanni gave the invention a once-over. Nothing impressive by his scientists' standard work, but impressive for a group of three grunts who, according their report, had been operating in an improvised hideout in virtually the middle of nowhere.

"And how did you afford the supplies for this?" Giovanni asked.

Meowth shrugged, "Our food budget. We'll be living off rice balls for a while, but it was worth it."

"Interesting. You three are dismissed. Go to the barracks and get some rest. You three look repulsive," Giovanni said as he left. "Make sure to turn in your report to my secretary before tomorrow."

The trio saluted and left in a different direction. As he made his way back to his office, Giovanni contacted his team of scientists to come to the landing with means of transporting the Moon Stone to the labs.

Later in the day, Giovanni sat with the Rocket trio's report in his hands. As he read it over, he was slightly intrigued with how they anticipated opposition and divided their efforts to complete the task, employing trickery and unique uses of their Pokémon's abilities. They had succeeded in a few small operations before, and they failed their raid on the Viridian City Poké Center due to the same Trainer they had run into at Mt. Moon. But it seemed they were learning fast.

'Rudimentary design on their invention, but effective planning of its use to escape with their target. And the way they adapted it to absorb electricity in light of that Trainer's Pikachu they've been bemoaning. Then again, the three of them did score the highest in the training program's final test, even though they ran out of time at the end.'

Giovanni set aside the report and thought for a few minutes about what they had managed to accomplish.

'Retrieving the Moon Stone is a massive step forward. Even with Mewtwo at my disposal, this will help power up our standard Pokémon. Perhaps a reward is in order for such an accomplishment. And with luck, they'll come up with more simple but effective inventions. My grunts keep tripping up and getting themselves arrested, but some extra gadgets should help them avoid capture.'

* * *

After filling out their report, a nap, a shower, a good meal at the cafeteria and a better night's rest, Jessie, James and Meowth felt back at one hundred percent. Soon after breakfast, they received word from one of the HQ grunts (the kind that were a part of Team Rocket, but had yet to achieve field operative status) that Giovanni wanted to see them.

The three of them promptly showed up, and the secretary, Matori, notified Giovanni that the trio had arrived.

Once inside, Giovanni gave them the good news. Now, alongside their monthly food budget of $500 and their monthly salary of $200, they now had an "R&D" funding of $1000 for tools and materials to make their inventions.

"However, you'll only keep this additional budget if you make inventions that the rest of Team Rocket can use," Giovanni warned. "I give final say on whether a submitted design is acceptable, and you must submit at least two a year."

James nodded, "We are honored to receive such a reward, and to contribute to Team Rocket's furthered glory."

"Good," Giovanni replied. "Now get back to work."

"Yes, Boss," the trio replied in unison.

* * *

While the Rocket trio made the journey back to Mt. Moon to retrieve their balloon, escorted by one of Team Rocket's vans, Ash and company had continued their journey to Cerulean City, much to Misty's protest.

The redheaded girl had left by the time Ash and Brock arrived at the hill overlooking the city, and the two went into the city, Ash looking for the Gym and Brock leaving to run some errands.

Once he found the Gym, he was surprised to learn that there were, in fact, three Gym Leaders and that they were three beautiful women called the Sensational Sisters. Regardless, a Gym's a Gym, so Ash challenged them immediately.

The three sisters shifted awkwardly, "Mm… slight problem. We don't actually _have_ any Pokémon right now," the blond sister, Daisy, said.

"Huh?"

Violet, the blue-haired model, continued, "All of our Pokémon got wiped out by these three Trainers from this nowhere town called Pallet."

Ash groaned that he was still behind, "Not again…"

"It was just one defeat after another," Violet complained. "My eyes were, like, spinning from the losses."

The pink-haired girl, Lily, spoke up, "Like, we had to rush all of our Pokémon to the Poké Center." She took out a Poké Ball and expanded it before dropping it to the ground, "This is the only one left."

A Goldeen appeared, flopping on the ground.

"If she evolved into a Seaking, we could use her, but the only move she knows is Horn Attack," Daisy explained, as Lily called Goldeen back.

"So, like, there's no point in battling," Violet said.

Lily beamed, "Meaning we can focus on making ourselves even more beautiful!"

Ash groaned again at his bad timing. But Daisy smiled, "I know what you want." She turned to the pool and clapped her hands twice, "Seel!"

A white Pokémon that resembled a seal with a short horn came up from the water and flopped onto the ground next to them. He extended his tongue with a "Seel" and a badge shaped like a water drop was resting on it.

Daisy plucked it off and held it up to Ash, "A Cascade Badge; this is what you want, right? You can have it."

Ash shook his head, "Thanks, but I prefer to _earn_ my badges. How long until your Pokémon are all better for a challenge?"

Violet shrugged, "Two, three days tops."

Ash sighed, but accepted it, thinking, 'Great, now I'm going to be even _further_ behind.'

Daisy held up the badge again, "Why not just take it? A badge is a badge."

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"

The four Trainers looked up and saw Misty in the stands. Pikachu cried out happily while Ash asked, "Misty?"

Misty jumped down from the seating area and said, "All right Daisy, if you won't battle him, I will!"

"Hold on, _what_?" Ash asked.

Misty smiled, looking smug, "I'm a Cerulean City Gym Leader, too. I'm the fourth Sensational Sister!"

The effect was ruined when Lily cut in, "There are only _three_ Sensational Sisters, and _one_ runt." Misty growled, but Daisy said, "So Misty, what are you doing back here?"

"That bratty bigmouth who said she wasn't going to come back until she was a Pokemon Master, wasn't that you?" Violet added.

Misty mumbled, "I guess I _did_ say something like that…"

'So _that's_ why she was so dead set against coming here,' Ash thought.

Lily laughed, "Misty, you left pretending you wanted to become a Pokémon Trainer because you couldn't _compare_ with us. Because we're so much more beautiful and talented than you!"

"It's not like I _wanted_ to come back here!" Misty vehemently denied. "The only reason _I'm_ here is because _he_ wanted to come!"

Daisy glanced at Ash, "Well, he's not someone _I'd_ choose for a boyfriend, but you're no prize yourself."

"My _boyfriend_?!"

Ash gulped, "Uh-oh…"

Misty got up in Daisy's face, "If I battle him, that'll prove I'm _not_ a quitter, and I'm just as good a battler as you are!"

"Well, you _are_ the only one with battle-ready Pokémon," Daisy granted.

Misty got up in Ash's face next, "All right Ash, are you ready to rumble?!"

The two of them got onto the red and blue platforms at the ends of the pool. Once they were on, the platforms were moved out into the water by machinery underneath **(1)** and Misty said, "It'll be a two-on-two battle!"

"Fine with me!" Then he turned to Pikachu, "This'll be a piece of cake, Pikachu." Pikachu didn't look happy with that.

Misty took a Poké Ball out and said, "Misty calls, Staryu!"

Ash saw the Star-Shaped Pokémon appear and muttered, "I remember that one. Its attacks are a flying Tackle, Water Gun, Swift…"

"Stop muttering and send out your Pokémon!" Misty shouted from across the arena.

"All right, I will!" Ash picked up Pikachu, "Go, Pikachu! Huh?" When Ash tried to throw Pikachu to the nearest platform, the Electric Pokémon clung to Ash's hand.

"What is it, Pikachu?" Ash asked as Pikachu hopped back down to the platform. Pikachu pointed to Misty, shaking his head and speaking fretfully.

"You're saying that you don't want to battle Misty?"

"Pika…"

Ash sighed, but said, "Well, I guess it's all right if you don't want to fight a friend."

"Pikachu!" Misty called with a beaming expression. "You're a Pika-pal!"

Pikachu perked up at Misty's praise, and Ash hmphed, "Thanks a lot, Pikachu."

Ash's hand hovered over his belt for a second, the Trainer thinking, 'Since Butterfree has Mega Drain, I'd better save him as my ringer.' Picking a ball and twisting his hat back, Ash threw out the Poké Ball, "Pidgeotto, I choose you!"

The Flying Pokémon appeared in the air with a fierce cry, and Ash ordered, "Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!" Ash's Pokemon swiftly dive-bombed Misty's and sent Staryu falling down on the platform as he flew back into the air and looped around.

"Staryu, counter with Water Gun!"

"Pidgeotto, evasive action, and then Wing Attack!"

Compared to dodging Koffing's Sludge attack, consisted of multiple blobs, dodging a single stream of water was no trouble for Pidgeotto, even if it was shot multiple times. Using a combination of light flitting and a barrel roll **(2)** , Pidgeotto got in close and hit Staryu with his wing, sending the Star Shaped Pokemon flying into the water.

"Good job, Pidgeotto!" Ash praised.

Misty scoffed, "As if! While Staryu's in the water, it'll get healed! Water Pokémon always have the advantage in the water! Ah-ha-ha-ha!"

Pikachu was quietly cheering Misty on and Ash said, "Pikachu! You're supposed to be on _my_ side!"

He looked at Pidgeotto flying around, scanning the water for Staryu. 'If this battle were outside, Pidgeotto could glide and not have to fly as much, but he'll tire out sooner or later… A-ha!'

Ash smiled at the idea he got, "Then let's see how you like it when I blow your Pokémon out of the water! Pidgeotto, vacuum up the water with Gust!"

Pidgeotto fiercely flew around in circles, "Piiiidgeotto-to-to-to-to-to!" A mid-sized tornado formed before touching down on the water, sucking it up and spraying it every which way. Were the Trainer platforms not anchored to the bottom of the pool, they would've been sucked up too. Soon enough, a shape was seen being sucked up through the tornado.

"There it is! Keep going, Pidgeotto! Once it's out, use Wing Attack again!"

"Don't take this lying down, Staryu!" Misty ordered. "Use Tackle attack!"

Staryu was spat out of the top of the tornado and Pidgeotto immediately chased after him. As the tornado dissipated, Staryu started spinning in mid-air and flying around after Pidgeotto.

On the sidelines, Daisy commented, "Misty's actually doing pretty well."

"Well, we three got the good looks in the family," Lily said, "So I guess she had to get _some_ talent for battle."

The two Pokemon clashed in the air a few times before Ash ordered, "Pidgeotto, Whirlwind!"

Pidgeotto stopped and hovered, Staryu still heading right for him in direct line-of-sight. Beating his wings furiously, Pidgeotto stopped Staryu's attack, causing him to be spinning in a single spot as the Water Pokemon fought against the wind. Unfortunately, Staryu lost the battle, his momentum overpowered, and was blown away to slam against the wall. Once he slid to the ground, his points went limp and the gem in his center started blinking.

"Oh no!" Misty said. "Staryu!"

Pidgeotto landed on one of the platforms, resting his wings and catching his breath, but ready to take off, should Staryu get up again. Misty growled and held out Staryu's Poké Ball, "Staryu, return!"

Once her Pokemon was called back, Misty took out another Poké Ball, "This isn't over yet! Go, Goldeen!"

Ash raised an eyebrow as Goldeen appeared in the water. Why have a strictly swimming Pokémon after he just took out another that had hidden underwater? Then he got a closer look at Pidgeotto, who was still resting on the platform.

'She's hoping to tire Pidgeotto out, since he's the only one that can counter hiding underwater. And he _will_ tire out quick after that stunt I had him pull,' Ash thought. 'I'll buy him some time to rest.'

Ash took another Poké Ball as he held Pidgeotto's out, "Pidgeotto, return!" Misty was surprised at Ash's decision, since none of his other Pokémon would be able to pull off the same trick, and Pikachu wouldn't battle.

Once Pidgeotto was back, Ash threw out the other ball, "Go, Butterfree!"

'Drat! I should've known he'd use Butterfree if he couldn't use Pikachu,' Misty internally cursed. She almost wished that Samurai hadn't given him that guide, but she didn't let it show outward.

"Goldeen, Water Gun!"

"Butterfree, dodge and use Stun Spore!"

Butterfree moved out of the way of the arcing Water Gun and flew up over Goldeen before releasing a cloud of the spores.

Misty ordered, "Goldeen, keep up the Water Guns!"

The spores descended as Butterfree kept dodging the streams of water. Unfortunately, the spores seemed to have no effect as they fell on Goldeen's wet skin.

"Ha! Too bad you didn't know Stun Spore doesn't work if you wash it off with water!" Misty cheered.

Ash grunted, "She thinks she knows everything. All right then, Butterfree, Supersonic!"

"What?!" Misty said. "G-Goldeen, go underwater!"

Goldeen dove down as Butterfree's antennae vibrated, creating a high-frequency sound that echoed through the water and assaulted Goldeen's ears (or whatever she listened with). Soon, she was behaving erratically, swimming shakily. Misty spoke up, "How does Butterfree know that? You've never used that move before!"

"I asked Dexter, going over what moves my Pokémon have, and he said that if Butterfree knew Whirlwind, he should've learned Supersonic. A quick test outside before coming here confirmed it," Ash explained with a grin. "Try washing _that_ off."

Soon, Goldeen surfaced, trying to attack one of the platforms with Horn Attack.

"Goldeen! You have to concentrate!" Misty urged. "All you need to do is land _one_ Water Gun!" She knew that Butterfree's wings were delicate, and if they got wet, he wouldn't be able to fly anymore. If she could knock Butterfree into the water, she'd win!

"Dodge, Butterfree, and make a wave with Whirlwind! Wash that Goldeen out of the pool!" Ash ordered confidently.

Goldeen tried to aim, but a lot of her shots went wide, and Butterfree maneuvered out of the way of the ones that got close. From her perspective, it looked like there were four hazy Butterfree's flying around.

"Goldeen! Focus!"

Goldeen shot a Water Gun in Ash's face. Ash sputtered and coughed before trying to shake his hat dry. Misty chuckled sheepishly, "Wrong target…"

Butterfree beat his wings, creating a gale that pushed into the water and started churning it up. With an extra burst of power, he sent a wave towards Goldeen, which picked her up and dropped her on the poolside with a splash.

Ash sneezed and then ordered, "Now, Mega Drain!"

Butterfree flew over to the flopping Goldeen and held his wings out as he readied Mega Drain. He still needed a bit of time to start up the move from lack of practice, and once he prepared the move, he needed to stay still while using it. Ash knew this, so he removed the danger by beaching Goldeen.

The light reached out towards Goldeen and the energy was pulled from her and to Butterfree's wings. The Water Pokémon passed out soon afterward. Misty groaned in frustration and held out Goldeen's Poké Ball, "Goldeen, return!"

Once Goldeen was back in her Poké Ball, Misty said, "I _really_ hate to say it, Ash. But you win."

Butterfree fluttered back to Ash and he said, "Good job, Butterfree. Take a good rest now." Ash recalled Butterfree back to his Poké Ball and the trainer platforms started moving back to the edges of the pool. Pikachu looked sad that Misty lost. Ash noticed, but decided to say nothing about it. Like he'd said back in Viridian Forest, at least Pidgeotto and Butterfree (and, by extension now, Rattata) give him the respect he deserves.

Once Ash and Misty were back with the sisters, Daisy said, "Well, Ash won, so here, your badge."

Misty seemed really sore about it, but Violet said, "Cheer up, Misty. We wouldn't have done any better than you. He thought on his feet and turned the water against you. He would've done the same to us."

"Like, totally!" Lily added. "Using Supersonic because water conducts sound was pretty clever. Any Pokémon we have wouldn't have stood a chance. And if he had just used Pikachu, none of our Water Pokémon would've been any good anyway."

Ash received his Cascade Badge and smiled, "Alright! I got the Cascade Badge!" At the same time, he was thinking, 'I didn't know water conducted sound too. That was pretty lucky… Still, I had Pidgeotto as back-up.'

* * *

The Rocket trio figured that Ash and co. had reached Cerulean City by now, but decided against going in. Instead, they stuck outside of the city from a high vantage point. James kept a lookout to see which direction the children headed while Jessie saw to the Pokémons' training.

Jessie applied her makeup as her Pokémon were practicing one of her more recently thought out forms, which she dubbed the Archer formation. James' Koffing was doing dodging practice with Mankey, trying to employ just enough gas to make it so the force of Mankey's attacks would be enough to repel the Poison Gas Pokémon. She would've tried teaching them a formation too, but James' Pokémon were just too different from each other to create an effective formation. Meowth was simply doing some aerobic exercises nearby. He had his dumbbell nearby as well, when he was ready to get to it.

She felt Spearow land on her shoulder after a time. She glanced and saw Spearow staring at the mirror intently. Jessie paused in applying her lipstick before resuming and raising an eyebrow as she looked at Spearow from the reflection in the mirror. "What, you've never seen a reflection before?" Jessie said as she tilted the compact to fully face Spearow. "It's called a mirror. Basically, it shows an image of what it's pointing at by reflecting light." Jessie tilted it a few directions, and Spearow adjusted each time to keep an eye on her reflection.

"Vain bird, ain't she?" Meowth commented as he completed his 17th push-up.

Jessie closed the mirror and turned to Meowth, "Don't insult my Spearow!"

Meowth grinned cheekily, "Eh? Sorry Jessie, didja say somethin'? I was talkin' ta Spearow."

After he said that, Meowth automatically pushed himself to a standing position to dodge the rock thrown at his head. He was glad he was already warmed up. It was time for the next part of his training.

* * *

Up atop a small cliff near the camp, James had his binoculars as he kept a close eye on all of the paths leading outside of the town. Soon, he spotted some figures and zoomed in. He smiled, "There you are…" Comparing the route with his map, he identified the next city with a Pokémon Gym in that direction.

"Vermillion," James confirmed. "That's where they're going."

Folding the map up, he tucked it under his arm and jumped down some ledges to get back to the camp. He ran in, saying, "I found where the twerps are-" He stopped short at the sight of both Jessie and Spearow chasing after Meowth, the other four Pokémon paired up and sparring. "Er… Am I interrupting…?"

"Just my cardio!" Meowth shouted as he ran around. It was good for training because he may or may not be running for his life.

As Meowth was running and dodging both Jessie and Spearow, he felt a tingling in his paws, not a getting-ready-to-scratch tingle, something different. Jumping and bouncing off a tree over both the females' heads, he instinctively crossed his arms in an "x" and felt the energy build up as the two of them turned around.

Swiping his paws outward, a bright yellow outline followed each of them and stars of energy flew out, Meowth had just learned Swift. Unfortunately, the joy was short lived. While Spearow was hit and didn't suffer too much damage, Jessie wasn't as lucky. Meowth's expression became horrified as a good chunk of the stars hit Jessie's face and even cut a few of the strands out of her long hair.

Meowth landed and grew only more afraid as some tiny, red star-shaped welts started swelling on her face. But they were pale compared to how red Jessie's face grew from sheer rage.

"It slipped…?" Meowth feebly tried to argue. Even Spearow knew to stay out of the way as Jessie slowly stomped her way towards Meowth.

Meowth took a deep breath; he knew it would just get worse if he tried to run away. 'I never wrote out my will. Oh well, never had much ta begin wit'.'

He closed his eyes as he saw Jessie reach behind, and a moment later he felt the hard unforgiving iron surface of her hammer on his cheek. Fortunately, it was lights out for him when the top of his head slammed into a tree.

Jessie turned to James, seemingly intent on continuing her rampage. He waved his hands panickedly, "Now, now, don't kill _me_! I have information, remember?!"

* * *

The next day, Ash and his friends were on the road to Vermillion City. Ash was excited to earn his next badge, so he ran on ahead.

"Wait a minute, there are lots of tough Trainers up ahead!" Misty warned.

Ash looked over his shoulder with a smile, "Then this'll be a good time to get some training in!"

The young Trainer was spotted and challenged repeatedly, but each of his Pokémon managed to win. Ash also found it to be a good opportunity to field test some new moves that he'd had his Pokémon practicing. One such instance came up against a brunette boy, who had pitted his Rattata against Ash's own.

"Rattata, Quick Fang!"

Ash's Rattata zipped around, confusing the opponent's Rattata before cutting him in the side with her empowered teeth as she zipped by. As the name implied, it was a combination of Quick Attack and Hyper Fang.

"Now finish with Tackle!"

The opponent's Rattata passed out after Rattata charged headfirst into him. Ash's opponent cried out, "Oh! Rattata!"

Ash got on one knee and patted his own Rattata on the head, "Good job! Looks like you've got that combined move down." He held up her Poké Ball, "You take a good rest now, return."

"Wow, you sure are strong," the brunette complimented Ash after he returned his own Rattata.

Ash nodded, "Maybe, but your Pokémon have potential themselves." He might've bragged before about winning two badges, but Ash had his fair share of losses. Aside from the one to Brock, Team Rocket had also beaten him a few times, through battle or otherwise. He knew that he had to keep getting stronger and creating new strategies if he wanted to keep them from stealing Pikachu.

"You know," the brunette continued, "you might even be strong enough to beat AJ!"

"Who?" Ash asked.

The boy pointed, "He runs a Gym right over there."

Following the direction indicated, the trio found the gym after a few minutes of walking. There was a fence of logs surrounding it, complete with a gate. There was a sign that indicated the location as AJ's Gym with the title, "Undefeated!" and a win/loss score of 98 – 0. On the bottom there was a note that the Gym wasn't sanctioned by the Pokémon League.

Ash whistled, "98 wins and no losses… He must be really strong."

"Having second thoughts, Ash?" Misty asked.

"Of course not!" Ash defended. Then he added casually, "I can appreciate another Trainer's record."

A new voice spoke up, "Are you my next victim?"

They turned and saw a dark green-haired teen approach them. He had an orange and black shirt with jean shorts and orange and black tennis shoes. He had a blue backpack over his shoulder as well.

"You must be AJ," Ash said. He extended his hand, "I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, and I'd like to compete at your Gym."

"Hm, if you're ready to lose, then sure," AJ said confidently as he shook Ash's hand. The gate opened, and a Butterfree flew forward. AJ handed his backpack over and Butterfree flew back to the tent.

"What's in the backpack?" Ash asked.

AJ looked over his shoulder, "The wild Pokémon I just caught. There's a whole lot more in the tent, and then some."

Ash smiled, "Hey, can I see them after the match?"

"If ya want," AJ said, stepping up to the arena. "Now which Pokémon are you going to choose for my 99th win?"

Ash stepped up to the arena as well, "I'm here to test my Pokémons' strength more than anything else. Is this a free battle? Can I use all of my Pokémon?"

"Sure," AJ chuckled. "Won't matter much. Ya know, you said you're from Pallet? Just the other day, three other Trainers came through here saying they were from Pallet. They were talking big, but they lost too."

"Wow," Ash said. "And you fought them back-to-back?"

"They learned the hard way that this ain't the Pokémon Little League," AJ said as he took out a whip. "After I win 100 matches in a row, I'll start competing for badges!"

Ash raised an eyebrow, "98 wins and you still don't have a badge? I wish I had your patience. I've managed to get two badges, but I've made my fair share of mistakes along the way."

"Did you buy those badges or steal 'em? Either that or you competed in some _loser_ Gyms," AJ taunted.

Ash could practically feel Brock and Misty's ire rising, and he waved his hands, "Hey, let's not go tossing insults arou-"

"What do you mean 'loser Gyms'?" Misty asked furiously.

Brock added, "Hey Ash, pulverize this guy!"

Ash sighed, and AJ held up his Poké Ball, "Let's get started, then. Sandshrew, go!" A dull yellow Pokémon appeared, having the appearance of a shrew with brick-like patterns over its sandy hide.

Ash got ready for battle too, "A Sandshrew, huh? This should be interesting."

"Be careful, Ash! Pikachu's electricity won't have any effect on Sandshrew," Misty warned.

"I know what I'm doing, but thanks," he said. Ash twisted his hat back before throwing out his Poké Ball, "Pidgeotto, I choose you!" His Flying Pokémon emerged with a battle cry and looked at Sandshrew as he hovered in the air.

"Smart move on Ash's part," Brock commented. "Flying-types have the advantage over Ground-types."

With a crack of AJ's whip as his command, Sandshrew curled up into a ball and rocketed himself towards Pidgeotto.

"Wha-?! Pidgeotto, dodge!" Ash shouted in surprise.

Pidgeotto was also taken by surprise from Sandshrew's speed and suffered a direct hit. Ash ran forward as Pidgeotto fell from the sky and caught him. "Pidgeotto! Are you okay?"

"Pidg..." The flying Pokémon was barely conscious.

Ash held up his Poké Ball, "That's enough for you, return!" He re-evaluated the Sandshrew. Pidgeotto was far from his weakest Pokémon, yet AJ's Pokémon had taken him down in one hit. Ash didn't even have the chance to use Pidgeotto's new combined attack!

'Flying advantage won't work here. Time for some infighting!' Ash thought. "Go, Rattata!"

Ash's Mouse Pokémon appeared, and she stared down the Sandshrew. But while Ash was half through issuing a command, AJ's whip cracked and Sandshrew charged.

"Dodge with Quick Attack!"

Rattata barely managed to stay out of Sandshrew's reach, and AJ's whip cracked again, causing Sandshrew to go underground.

That gave Ash an idea, "Rattata, Focus Energy! It's not like Ekans, it has to dig with its claws! Listen for the digging sounds, and then dodge!"

Rattata concentrated, and a blue aura outlined her. Meanwhile, her sensitive ears picked up Sandshrew's approach from underground, so she used Quick Attack again to dodge. Sandshrew burst out of the ground, but hit nothing.

"Now, Quick Fang!" Ash ordered.

Combining the two moves, Rattata charged with her teeth bared, and Sandshrew curled into a ball. The attack struck, and a pulse of blue energy went out from the point Rattata's teeth scraped against. Regardless, the attack caused Sandshrew to roll away, lessening the severity of the impact. After that, Sandshrew uncurled and AJ cracked his whip again.

"Sandshrew, Swift attack!"

Sandshrew swiped with his claws and yellow stars came out of them, chasing after Rattata. After he fired them, he watched as Rattata tried to run away from them. They inevitably hit, and that window of opportunity allowed Sandshrew enough time to curl up again and ram into Rattata. She was knocked unconscious from the impact.

Ash held out Rattata's Poké Ball. "Rattata, return!" He spoke to her Poké Ball, "You did great. Rest up, now." He turned to AJ, taking out another Poké Ball and expanding it, "I've gotta hand it to you, AJ, your Sandshrew _earns_ the title 'Undefeated.' But I still have one more Pokémon. Go, Butterfree! Sleeping Gale!"

Unnoticed by Ash, Pikachu seemed a little insulted when he said "one more Pokémon."

Butterfree appeared, and he beat his wings, releasing the blue powder at the same time that he generated a Whirlwind. The downside was that the wind dispersed the powder and thinned it out, making it take longer to put the opponent to sleep. AJ cracked his whip and Sandshrew went back underground. Ash waited as Butterfree stopped the combined attack, sure that Sandshrew would be back out of the ground in due time. From his battle with Misty, he knew that surprise and status moves could work just as well for taking down an opponent.

AJ's whip cracked and Sandshrew burst from the ground behind Butterfree. Butterfree was pinned down by his wings from behind, and Ash gave the order.

"Reverse Supersonic!"

Butterfree's antennae pointed behind him and vibrated, sending the sound waves right into Sandshrew's face. Sandshrew let go in an effort to cover his ears, and Butterfree took flight again.

"You may've caught him off guard," AJ granted, "but Sandshrew and I won't be beat by tricks!"

Sandshrew was dazed for a moment, but when AJ cracked his whip, it went through the confusion and Sandshrew's head perked up before he curled into a ball and went flying towards Butterfree. His path was still a little shaky though, so Butterfree was able to dodge.

"Only one chance!" Ash said. "Butterfree, Mega Drain!"

Butterfree spread his wings as they started to glow, but Sandshrew was pulling a U-turn for another shot at him. Sandshrew jumped up, and Butterfree released the glow, sapping Sandshrew's energy.

But he couldn't do it fast enough.

Sandshrew went straight through the glow and slammed directly into Butterfree, knocking him to the ground. The glow from Butterfree's wings faded and Sandshrew was panting slightly, but still standing. Butterfree was still conscious, but lacked the energy to fly.

Ash returned Butterfree, saying, "That's enough." Then he smiled, "Good battle, AJ."

"Pika!"

Pikachu started stepping forward, but Ash sidestepped to have his foot in front of Pikachu, "No, Pikachu. That Sandshrew's too strong, and your electric attacks won't have any effect."

"Pika, Pi-Pika!" Pikachu said confidently.

Ash got on one knee, "Alright, show me your strongest non-electric attack and I'll think about it."

Pikachu grabbed Ash's finger and bit it. Ash winced slightly, but just lifted Pikachu up and shook him off.

"That's not getting through Sandshrew's defenses," Ash said. "So it's a no-go." He leaned forward to whisper, "Besides, if Team Rocket attacks, I'll need _somebody_ to be fighting fit. That Sandshrew is strong. Let's stick around for a bit and see if we can head off Team Rocket."

It made Pikachu feel a little better that Ash was relying on him for defending against Team Rocket, so he nodded with a "Pika."

* * *

Team Rocket was indeed watching the battle going on in AJ's Gym from a tree. They contemplated stealing his Sandshrew, since he was clearly very powerful.

As they observed the Sandshrew through their binoculars, Meowth said, "Looks fat. You two gotta carry it."

Jessie glanced at AJ, "The outfit that Trainer is wearing looks positively hideous."

"That shirt looks like it's from a _century_ or two ago," James added. "He'd fit right in perfectly at a museum."

Meowth grinned, "Mm, at least he doesn't look like he's trick-or-treating, like you do."

James looked at Meowth crossly and hit him over the head, sending him falling off of the branch. After he crashed to the ground, his binoculars fell into his mouth.

Jessie and James dropped down from the tree afterwards as Meowth sat up and spat out the object. James asked, "So what should we do? Poach Pikachu, or steal Sandshrew?"

"We could try both," Meowth suggested.

Jessie waved her hand, "If we try to bite off more than we can chew, and fail, then it'll look bad on our report. Hmm… We can go after the twerp any day. This Sandshrew seems like it'll be the one that got away if we don't go after it _now_."

"Well then," James concluded, "that settles that. Let's go pick up some supplies from the balloon and move out."

* * *

 **I had to cut off this chapter here, because wow. My uncut version of this chapter was 7000+ words, and I wasn't even** ** _done_** **writing it yet. Hope that this is enough for you for now, and I'm glad to be back.**

 **New Author Note formatting is that I leave numbers and explain in the after note:**

 **1: They never _did_ explain how the platforms in the Gym worked. How the Trainers wouldn't get thrown off if something made waves. So I made up a reason which may or may not be true.**

 **2: Despite popular (Star Fox) belief, a Barrel Roll is actually moving the whole aircraft in a round circle, as if hugging the inside of a barrel. What the pilots of Star Fox more commonly use is an Aileron Roll.**

 **Also, if it isn't already abundantly clear which choice won the poll, the result can be viewed on my profile (for a week after this chapter is posted).**

 **(BTW, reviews make me happy. I already can't thank the ones who have reviewed enough. But as the story is further developed, I like to know what I'm doing _write_ and wrong. [LOL] Just wanted to say that.)**

 **I'll see you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	6. Chapter 6: Learn As You Go

Chapter 6: Learn As You Go

Ash stuck around the Gym, observing AJ's training methods. They were tough. He had his Bug Pokémon sparring with each other, his Rattata gaining agility by practicing acrobatics and his Sandshrew gaining a resistance to water by diving into a pool. And all of them were wearing something AJ had invented called a "strength intensifier", which made it harder for them to move their limbs fluidly, but strengthened them more in training.

When they saw Sandshrew dive into the pool and jump out, merely spinning to shake off the water, they were surprised. AJ explained, "You're looking at the only Sandshrew strong enough to withstand water."

Ash didn't like how tough AJ was on his Pokémon, but he could see the results if his battle with Sandshrew was any indication. Personally, he believed that making friends with your Pokémon was the most important thing, but he wasn't here to debate training methods.

After Brock asked AJ what kind of Pokémon food AJ used, AJ showed him the cupboards filled with the individually labeled jars. Bored with the discussion on homemade Pokémon food, Ash gave another look around, trying to keep an eye out for anything suspicious while he watched the Pokémon train.

While Ash was looking, Pikachu tried lifting a small dumbbell while Sandshrew was lifting one in each hand, but he didn't get much success. Ash walked over and spotted him with a few fingers, supporting the weight while Pikachu lifted it. This way, he could keep a close eye on both Sandshrew and Pikachu.

* * *

Team Rocket snuck into AJ's Gym, able to listen in through the fabric walls of the main tent while they whispered.

"Portable Zap Sapper?" Jessie asked.

James held up a device like a ray gun with a satellite dish antenna at the end, "Check." Then he hooked it back to his belt.

"Big rubber ball?"

Meowth rolled up a hollow ball similar to one of AJ's used for acrobatics, "Check, check, check-a-rooney."

The human duo practiced the short motto they had worked out, since they weren't likely to get through the full one in this situation.

Jessie started in a whisper, "Team Rocket will do what it has to do,"

"To snatch that Trainer's Sandshrew," James finished. Then he frowned and crossed his arms, still whispering, "Maybe we should go back to our old motto; this doesn't _feel_ right."

Meowth leaned from behind the ball and said, "Maybe we could record da motto an' leave behind a tape player. Add a little theme song. Everybody loves music."

Jessie and James thought about it. "A theme song would be nice," Jessie granted.

James shook his head, "But leaving a recording is out of the question… There's no spirit!"

Meowth rolled the ball so that the hole was facing upward, "We can iron it out later. Maybe make a choreography outta it. We got a prime Pokémon ta steal!" The feline Pokémon jumped up and dropped into the hole before rolling it from the inside so that Jessie and James could get in.

* * *

On a table in the tent, a digital timer counted down all the way to zero before a figurine of a Hitmonlee kicked the bell with a loud ding.

"Okay, you wimps get a 15-minute break!" AJ called. All of his Pokémon immediately sat or flopped to the ground, panting.

Ash noticed and said, "Hey, your Pokémon are completely wiped out."

"You better believe it," AJ retorted. "In this Gym, we live by the rule, 'no pain, no gain'! But judging by the way you mommy your Pokémon, you don't follow any rules."

Ash stepped forward, "Well, excuse _me_ for caring!"

While the two Trainers were arguing, Pikachu was poking at Sandshrew's strength intensifier, but he got caught in it and was forced to curl into a ball, much to the Ground Pokémon's amusement. Sandshrew curled up in a ball too, alongside Pikachu.

Team Rocket rolled in with their camouflage and Meowth complained, "I'm gettin' dizzy…"

"Stop complaining," James whispered harshly. "Look for the Sandshrew!"

As the hole moved around and they looked, they noticed something. "Wait," Jessie ordered, "roll over there." The trio rolled their ball over and looked at the two curled up Pokémon.

"That one, right?" James asked, shaking his head clear before looking at Sandshrew. Then he noticed Pikachu curled up next to him, "Wait… Is that…?"

Jessie's eyes narrowed in confusion, "Could it be Pikachu? Too bad we didn't bring our rubber gloves."

"Hurry an' grab 'em both, if ya want, all that rollin' made me nauseous," Meowth replied.

James lunged out and swept up Sandshrew in a bag, tying the opening securely into a knot, "Got it!" Better to just take Sandshrew than risk getting held up by a body contact shock.

"Let's get out of here!" Jessie urgently whispered.

They started rolling back towards the entrance at a quicker pace.

"Hurry, I feel sick!" Meowth said.

"Not in here, you're not!" Jessie threatened.

Once they were outside, Jessie and James broke apart the ball and left it behind as James carried Sandshrew and Jessie had Meowth under her arm.

"My leg fell asleep!" Meowth groaned.

"I wish your _mouth_ would," James snapped back.

* * *

"Why do you keep hanging around here?" AJ asked irritatedly. "There must be other Trainers you can bother."

At that moment, the 15-minute timer ran out and a figurine of a Hitmonchan punched the bell twice.

AJ called out, "Time's up! Back to work all of ya!" His Pokémon got up, somewhat rested and began resuming their training. But AJ noticed that something was wrong.

"Hey, where's Sandshrew?" AJ wondered. "That's weird." Then he noticed Pikachu curled up and said, "What happened to your Pikachu?"

Ash picked up his Pokémon worriedly, "Pikachu!" He tried to uncurl him, but failed. AJ held his hands out, "Here, give 'em to me."

AJ unhooked one of the grips and the equipment released Pikachu into AJ's arms. Once Pikachu shook his head clear, AJ asked, "Pikachu, have you seen Sandshrew?" Pikachu shook his head and AJ called out for Sandshrew.

"I thought this might happen," Ash interrupted. He expanded a Poké Ball, "We have to spread and search to find Sandshrew. Rattata should be good at tracking them down if she can find the scent."

"Them who?" AJ asked.

"Rattata, go!" Ash's Rattata appeared, and Ash said, "Team Rocket's been here, and they've stolen Sandshrew. See if you can find something to get their scent trail."

"You three," AJ ordered his own Rattatas, "help look."

After a bit of searching and Ash explaining who Team Rocket was, the two Trainers' Rattatas found the remains of a fake rubber ball. The four Pokémon scented it before sniffing the ground around it and catching the trail, Ash's Rattata being more familiar with the scent.

* * *

Team Rocket panted as they hid behind behind some trees on a dirt road. Meowth was a little less exhausted since he only ran a little over half the distance. Jessie looked back, "All right, we're almost at the balloon, and we must've put enough distance between us and those twerps now, so let's take it easier for the rest of the way."

"I'm exhausted," James panted. "You take the bag now."

Jessie looked over her shoulder, "But a real gentleman _always_ carries the bag."

James pushed the bag into her arms, "Is that so? Well as you know, I'm no gentleman!"

Jessie hmphed and took the bag before slinging it over her shoulder. The trio speedwalked the rest of the way to their balloon and a steel cage already set up outside the balloon with the top open. Jessie untied the bag and dumped Sandshrew inside. The two agents closed it and sat down on the top while Meowth fastened a padlock. Sandshrew slammed against the top several times, but Jessie and James outweighed him and Meowth was able to secure the lock.

The trio looked at the caged Sandshrew and smirked. Meowth said, "Well, it ain't exactly rare, but dis Sandshrew will be good fer our cred with how powerful it is. Now, let's take dis bad boy to his new home."

Jessie and James made to lift the cage. But right as they were heaving it off the ground, they heard a buzzing sound along with a keening cry, "Pidgeooot!"

Pidgeotto and AJ's Beedrill flew in, driving straight through the balloon and ripping two holes straight through it before emerging from the top and ripping a third larger hole together. As the air was rapidly let out, the trio could only stare in shock.

Jessie growled, "Just great! How are we supposed to transport Sandshrew now?!"

"There they are!"

Team Rocket turned and saw Ash and the others running towards them. The two Pokémon returned to Ash and AJ. There were also two Butterfree, the four Rattata, and Brock's Zubat.

"Well, well, ask and you shall receive," James said, opening a Poké Ball, "Mankey, frisk that green-haired Trainer for his Poké Balls!"

Mankey charged AJ and punched him in the face, knocking him down. While AJ rubbed his head, Mankey hurriedly searched his pockets. But when he found nothing, he turned to James confused, "Mo, Mochit?"

"You were right," AJ said as he stood up. "They really did want Sandshrew's Poké Ball. Thanks for the tip." Then he growled at Team Rocket as Mankey returned to them, "There'll be trouble for trying to steal Sandshrew!"

Jessie twitched, "Did somebody say…"

"Trouble?" James asked.

As Jessie and James stood back to back, Jessie smirked, "I don't think this new Trainer has ever heard of us before, James."

"Let us enlighten him!"

Jessie held up her hand, "To protect the world from devastation,"

"To unite all peoples within our nation," James said with his rose held up.

Ash pointed to the trio, "Pikachu, Thunder Shock!"

Pikachu sent a bolt of electricity at them, but James calmly held up the ray gun from his belt and thumbed a button on the back of the handle. The bolt was pulled towards the dish and sucked into the antenna. The Trainers were surprised, and then James pulled the trigger and shot the bolt back at them, shocking them and stunning them for a time.

Pikachu ran over to Ash and the Trainer pulled him closer, whispering something to him. The two agents then continued the motto.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love,"

"To extend our reach to the stars above,"

"Jessie!"  
"James!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! Dat's right!"

"Mochiiit!" Mankey jumped up and posed on James' shoulder with a squinty grin.

Jessie and James were weeping tears of joy, Jessie saying, "That felt great! We don't need to shorten it."

"It's a classic!" James enthused.

AJ glared as he stood back up, "These clowns kidnapped Sandshrew?" Team Rocket was shaken out of their emotional moment by the insult and wiped away the tears before regaining their smirks.

"It's your fault for training it so well," Jessie said. "A Sandshrew that can resist water? That's quite a treat." She took out her Poké Balls, "You want it back?"

James took out his remaining Poké Ball, "Come and get it."

Just then, Pikachu jumped onto Mankey's back, having moved around while Team Rocket was caught up in their motto. Jumping off the basket gave him the height he needed and allowed him to shock Mankey directly, along with James. The two of them cried out, Jessie and Meowth backing away in surprise and caution.

After the shock wore off, James fell to the ground with Mankey falling off his shoulder.

Regardless, Mankey jumped right back up, eyes opened as he growled in rage and Pikachu made an akanbe at him before running off.

Meanwhile, Brock threw out a Poké Ball, "Geodude, break the cage!"

"Ekans, Acid! Spearow, Beedrill, keep that swarm busy however you can!" Jessie ordered, throwing out all of her Poké Balls.

Even on the ground, James groaned and clicked the button on his ball, stammering, "K-Koffing, help Spearow and Beedrill."

Ekans appeared and shot Acid out of her mouth at Geodude, guarding the cage. Geodude narrowly dodged the attack, but Ekans watched him carefully to make sure that he didn't come any closer.

"Pidgeotto, Gust attack! Butterfree, Whirlwind!" Ash ordered.

"Geodude, Rock Throw!" Brock ordered as well.

The other Flying Pokémon got behind Ash's as they both beat their wings to create a mighty gale. Team Rocket's Pokémon were blown away, and knocked to the ground. Geodude picked up a chunk of the ground and threw it at Ekans, she maneuvered her body out of the way and the rock shattered harmlessly against the steel cage. In retaliation, Ekans shot another Acid attack, forcing Geodude to float away from it. Seeing that they weren't getting anywhere, AJ and Ash ordered their Rattata to assist Geodude.

Jessie pulled James up and supported him on her shoulder, shouting to her own Pokémon, "Come on, Beedrill, Spearow! You're tougher than getting knocked out by a gentle breeze!"

"K-Koffing!" James hoarsely shouted. He cleared his throat and said in a more even voice, "Stay strong!"

Beedrill, Spearow and Koffing pulled themselves up, and Beedrill primed his Swords Dance attack. Maybe he could take down a few of the smaller ones quickly and cut down their numbers.

Spearow was of a different mind, getting angry at being knocked aside just because she hadn't learned Whirlwind herself yet. And she could use Gust if she wanted to!

In fact, she wanted to. She wanted to turn all of their moves against them!

Spearow spontaneously flashed white, to Team Rocket's surprise and the other Trainers' horror. She grew larger, having a wingspan as long as her new height. The feathers on her head seemed to disappear, aside from a short crest, as her neck and beak grew longer. Soon, the evolution completed, and she let out a keening cry as she became a Fearow.

The instant her evolution was done, she advanced into the sky, her pupils gleaming. A translucent Pidgeotto was soon flying with her and hovered as she stopped ascending. Her pupils glinted again, and the Pidgeotto started beating its wings, sending a Gust at the group of fliers. They were thrown into disarray and took time to get back in order.

Getting over the shock, Jessie and James knew an opportunity when they saw one.

"Beedrill, Swords Dance on Zubat and the other Beedrill! Fearow, Fury Attack on Pidgeotto!"

"Koffing, Sludge those Butterfrees' wings!"

"Zubat, Supersonic!" Brock ordered.

Ash held up his fist, "Pidgeotto, don't give up! Use Cyclone Wing! Butterfree, use Whirlwind!"

"Butterfree, you too!" AJ ordered.

Zubat started screeching, but Beedrill suddenly split into several Beedrills, surrounding Zubat with Double Team before attacking his back. But he was stopped by AJ's Beedrill with a Twineedle attack. Zubat managed to latch onto Jessie's Beedrill with Leech Life, and the Poison Bee Pokémon was too preoccupied with parrying AJ's Beedrill to get the bat off of his back.

Pidgeotto was flying in a wide circle and creating a tornado around Fearow. While the Sharp Beak Pokémon was trapped, Pidgeotto tried striking with Wing Attack from various angles. But Fearow kept track of him with her keen eyes and she retaliated by taking advantage of her neck's longer reach with Fury Attack whenever Pidgeotto got too close.

The two Butterfree overpowered Koffing with a double Whirlwind attack, sending him into a tree. The Poison Gas Pokémon dislodged himself from the branches and shot Smog out of his back to charge faster. He wouldn't let himself get knocked aside like a balloon!

As the Pokémon brawled in the sky, Team Rocket wasn't the only one taking advantage of the confusion. Pikachu had led Mankey on a chase, looping him around while Ekans continued guarding the cage from Geodude and the Rattatas with repeated Acid attacks. Soon, they were approaching behind the cage and Pikachu slapped his rear to keep Mankey nice and enraged.

Mankey wound up for a fierce punch and Pikachu waited until the last possible moment before dodging.

There was a metal wrenching sound, followed by a shattering snap, which caught Team Rocket's attention and caused them to turn around. Mankey looked sheepish at what he'd just done, and Pikachu was panting, but happy. Sandshrew jumped through the gap where the snapped bar used to be and burrowed underground.

"Unbelievable!" James said. "That twerp's Pikachu tricked Mankey into ruining our capture!"

Jessie growled, "Then Pikachu can make it up to us by being captured in Sandshrew's stead! Ekans, Meowth! Get it!"

"Mankey, you too!"

Ekans pursued Pikachu and Meowth was forcibly thrown towards the battle. Ekans' eyes glowed with Glare and Pikachu was stunned. Mankey grabbed Pikachu in a chokehold. But as Meowth landed and started running, his feline ears picked up a sound. He remembered what Ash had said during the battle.

Grabbing Ekans' head, he pulled her with him as he veered right. Sandshrew burst from the ground right where they were going to be. This broke Ekans' eye contact and Pikachu shocked Mankey with a Thunderbolt before running off.

"Sandshrew!" AJ shouted. "Fissure strike!"

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt on Team Rocket's fliers!" Ash ordered as well.

Pikachu ran to the Flying Pokémon's battle. Good thing too, because it was going south for the good Trainers' Pokémon since Spearow evolved. Zubat had been taken down by the Swords Dance as soon as there was an opening, and AJ's Beedrill was only holding out as long as he did because he had his own stingers to block with and quite a bit of the other's energy had been sapped by Zubat.

Both Butterfree managed to dodge the various Sludge attacks, but Pidgeotto couldn't hold out for long against Fearow's increased speed and power. Coupled with not getting a full rest, he was taken down after a few unlucky hits during his Cyclone Wing and a direct full-on Fury Attack after he was knocked out of his Gust flight. Now Fearow was after the two Butterfree with Koffing.

"Pi-kaaaa-CHUUUU!"

The good Trainers' Pokémon moved away and Team Rocket's were all shocked before they fell to the ground.

At the same time, Sandshrew finished charging his Fissure attack and started plummeting to the ground with his hand downwards, spinning rapidly.

"Go, Sandshrew! Drill into the ground until it splits!"

Sandshrew struck the ground and there was a colossal impact before the ground split open, swallowing up Team Rocket, their Pokémon, and the basket of their hot air balloon.

A while after the dust cleared, Team Rocket climbed up over the edge, bruised up, but otherwise fine, and they had their shrunken Poké Balls back in their hands, evidently having called their Pokémon back. James also had a large square package with a cloth tied around it over his shoulders. Jessie had a large sack over her shoulder and Meowth in her arm. He was conscious, but his body ached. The two of them jumped the rest of the way up, landing on the edge facing the Trainers.

"Looks like it's time Team Rocket blasted off again," James muttered as he adjusted the package to hold it more evenly against his back.

Jessie looked hatefully at Ash and the others, "You may have won this time, but we'll be back!"

The two of them jumped over the fissure as they ran off and AJ smiled, "That'll teach 'em!"

Ash was glad that he'd been able to help save AJ's Sandshrew, but that was way too close. If he hadn't gambled on Mankey's temper to free Sandshrew, they probably would've lost once Fearow, Beedrill and Koffing turned their attention on the Rattatas.

* * *

Once Team Rocket was as far away as they could run before catching their breath, they kept moving until sunset, heading in the general direction of Vermillion City to be ready to intercept Ash's group again.

Jessie threw their hastily gathered food and supplies with a huff, "I can't believe we lost, again!"

"Our ride was sabotaged, and the twerp warned that Sandshrew's Trainer that we'd be able to use their Poké Ball," James said as he set down the recovered portable transporter. It also served as their comm link to Giovanni, running on a power source of rigged car batteries. Boy, he was _not_ going to be happy that they needed a new balloon after a failed mission. **(1)**

After they filed their report and request, James excused himself, saying that he would be gone for a half-hour and then would return to prepare dinner.

He walked a short distance away from camp and found a cliff overlooking a forest. There was also a large building in the distance, but he paid it no mind for now. The sun was approaching the horizon, beginning to tint the sky orange. Perfect for what James had in mind.

He opened his Poké Ball, "Mankey, we need to talk." The Pig Monkey Pokémon emerged and seemed a bit nervous.

James waved his hand, "You're not being punished. But, today's mission was called into question because you let your temper get the better of you."

Mankey looked up questioningly. "I'm going to start teaching you some anger management exercises, and I'd like for you to take them to heart. Having your temper flare in the middle of battle, while it can be useful when harnessed, it can cause you to make careless mistakes."

James sat down, facing the sunset, and patted the spot next to him for Mankey to sit at, "Let's start with some evening meditation." The Fighting-type sat down and copied the posture that James had assumed. James closed his eyes and said, "Close your eyes… Feel the warmth of the sun wash over you… Take some deep breaths, and clear your mind…"

Mankey followed James' instructions, but after about 30 seconds, the Fighting-type started fidgeting.

James didn't even open his eyes as he said, "Mankey. I can hear you moving. Concentrate on the sun. Evision your most calming memory…" James thought back to the days of his summer home.

Mankey didn't have as much of a peaceful life to work with. He had grown up by himself, fought for himself, and survived by himself. His blood was getting restless from sitting still for so long. But he tried to calm himself and think about things in the wild. Occasionally, he would check the sky for interesting cloud formations while he was eating the berries he'd gather for meals. Opening one eye, he tried looking for one in the sunset. Then he tried seeing if he could find a hint in James' posture to see if he was doing something wrong.

When he saw James' serene expression, the blue-haired man having a small smile as well from his memories, Mankey found that he did have a happy memory: The day he had first met James. James had taken him in, become his first caretaker.

Mankey closed his eyes again and thought back to that day. He had been looking around for berries to hide for dinner before the Rattata got all the ones growing on the bushes that day. He had been sniffing around for them until he picked up an unfamiliar scent. Following it, he encountered James, who offered him a meal and a home with him all in one day. Some good food, good fights, nice friends… Mankey didn't need a happy memory. All he had to think about was what he had now.

Mankey took a deep breath as he felt his blood slow to a more tranquil level. It wasn't what any human would consider calm, but it was a start.

* * *

After traveling for the rest of the day, Ash and his friends made camp for the night. The next day saw them traveling through a foggy forest.

Ash and Misty were arguing about Misty's wrecked bike once again, and Brock sighed as he tried checking the map through the fog, "Maybe if you two spent less time arguing, and more time paying attention to where we're going, we'd already be in Vermillion City."

The Pewter Gym Leader decided that a break for a snack might take the edge off of their stress. Within minutes, he had a small folding table set up with a cloth, stools and plates. He offered to make some crepes and tea, but he needed firewood to cook and boil water. Misty made it clear that she wasn't going, so that left Ash.

He looked around, trying to find some wood that wasn't attached to trees to take back. He was considering calling out Rattata to help take down some branches with Hyper Fang, but Pikachu got his attention and pointed out a light further ahead. Ash thought, 'If somebody else has a fire, maybe they'll have some wood to spare!'

As he got closer, it appeared that a bunch of kids were bullying another kid. One of them, a redheaded student was standing in front of them, saying, "You forgot. And you call yourself a Pokémon Tech student? Well, we don't want to study with the likes of you!"

The one in the center bowed his head, "I'm sorry…"

Ash ran in, yelling, "Hey, leave that kid alone!" He and Pikachu skid to a stop, Ash demanding, "What's going on here?"

"There's nothing going on here," the redhead said dismissively. "Mind your own business. This is a private training session."

Another boy with green hair parted to the side added, "There's no room in our Pokémon school for _losers_ who don't even know Pidgey's evolved stage. We have to maintain standards."

Helping the bullied student up, Ash countered, "I don't know about this school of yours, but if it's turning out students like you, I'd have to say the standards are pretty low."

"That's right, Ash, you tell 'em!" A familiar voice interjected.

Ash turned and saw Misty walking in from the fog. She called out to the group, "You better stop bullying that kid, or you'll have to answer to us, right Ash?"

Ash looked at the group of five students, realizing the disadvantage of trying to take them on himself, and said, "Right, Misty!"

"We don't fight," the redheaded student answered.

"Fighting is for cavemen. This isn't the Stone Age, you know," the green-haired student added.

Another student with long dark purple hair spoke up, "And if we wasted our time having a fight with insects like you, it'd just make Pokémon Tech look really bad."

The green-haired student stepped forward, addressing the kid next to Ash, "We'll see you back at the Tech, Joe."

"Okay," he simply answered.

Ash was shocked that Joe was so calm about being bullied, and he wanted to say something as they left, but he recognized the disadvantage, even with Misty's help, and kept quiet. Nearby, Brock walked in, commenting as he whisked the batter for the crepes, "So those are the infamous Tech students."

When Ash asked what that meant, Misty clarified, "Pokémon Tech, I think it's short for Pokémon Technical. I know I had a flier here somewhere."

Brock read the flier and explained to Ash that the school was for those who wanted to enter the Pokémon League. Taking advanced classes, the students would be allowed, upon graduation, to compete without the need for badges or going on journeys.

Ash's brow furrowed, "Getting into the Pokémon League without badges is too easy."

"Wait, there's more," Brock replied. "Student entrance fees and tuition are in keeping with the high standards set by Pokémon Technical."

"You know what that means, don't you?" Misty asked Ash. "It's one of those snobby private schools only millionaires' kids can go to."

Ash was even more incensed by this and demanded to know where Pokémon Tech was. Joe pointed out that it was right in front of them. As the fog parted, it was revealed to have been generated by machines at the gate of the school. **(2)**

A bell rang and an announcement was made, "Today's special class, Fog Battle Techniques, is now ended. Tomorrow's lesson will be Snow Competition Secrets."

At that, Joe lamented, "Oh well, I guess tomorrow they'll make me into a snowman again."

"Do they treat you like that all the time?" Ash asked with a raised eyebrow.

"My friends are just trying to help me," Joe answered meekly.

Ash's eyebrows shot up, "You call them your _friends_?!"

"With friends like that, who needs enemies?" Brock commented.

* * *

While Joe explained his situation, and how things worked at Pokémon Tech, a pair of eyes was on the group from nearby.

Team Rocket was watching from a cliff, Meowth with high-tech binoculars and Jessie and James' expressions forlorn. James hadn't recognized the building yesterday, but he wasn't happy to know now.

Jessie sighed, "That place brings back memories, James."

"It certainly does, Jessie," James agreed, "and all of them are _awful_."

Meowth lowered the binoculars with a sigh. They had confided this story to him before. He knew it was therapeutic for them, though, so he said, "Tell me yer tale o' failure again."

Jessie started, "We studied for the big test,"

"So _sure_ we would beat all the rest," James rhymed with a dour expression.

"And here's da part I like da best," Meowth added.

Jessie looked down, "We frolicked that night, for our future seemed bright,"

"But things weren't right," James said with his eyes shut in regret.

The two of them sniffled and shouted, "WE GOT THE LOWEST SCORES IN THE HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL!"

"So ya two aren't book smart," Meowth stated as he turned to face them, binoculars held at his hip. "Ya'll always be da top in Meowth's book."

Jessie and James wiped away a few tears, thanking Meowth, and Meowth said, "Ya know what'll cheer ya up?"

"What?" they asked tentatively.

Meowth tilted his head over his shoulder, gesturing back to the school, "Raidin' dese stuffed shirts for their primo Pokémon."

The two human agents perked up at that, but then James said, "That sounds like a great prospect, but how would we ever manage such a feat with twerp and co. there?"

Meowth held up a claw and waved it like a finger as he grinned, "Just keep tabs on da twoips an' let Meowth work his magic." Tossing them the binoculars, Meowth ran off on all fours, heading back to camp.

Jessie and James looked at each other, Jessie commenting, "What do you think he's planning?"

"Not sure," James answered. But he held up the binoculars and said, "Maybe he's planning something using the twerps' location. Let's go find them."

* * *

Joe led Ash's group into an elevator that carried them to a room with both computers and an arena.

"Giselle always practices here by herself," he explained. "Even if you beat her in a fight, it won't matter to her. At the Tech, it's your _skill_ as a Pokémon Trainer that counts more than winning any one battle."

Ash, who was still keen on battling Giselle, reached into his jacket, "That's what I'm hoping, because I've got two badges!"

Joe shrugged, "But Giselle is at the top of the Beginner's class here at the Tech. That's better than even having _three_ badges." Then he crossed his arms with more than a bit of contempt, "Even though I'm at the bottom of my class, I'm still more powerful than someone with _two_ badges."

Before Ash could retort, Misty shoved him out of the way, "Hold on a second, here! I learned how to be a Pokémon Trainer at the Cerulean City Gym! Are you saying you can beat _me_?!"

Joe walked over to one of the computers and powered it up. "Oh, Cerulean City. Water Pokémon."

"How'd _you_ know?" Misty asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I always beat it on the simulator. See?" A Weepinbell and a Starmie appeared on the screen, a blue bar filling up on the Weepinbell's side before the Starmie's energy drained and it disappeared into the ground.

Misty seemed even more offended, " _What_ is _this_?! A simulation is one thing, but this is real life! Let's battle!"

Joe stood up with a confident smile, "You'll be sorry."

* * *

In the school grounds, Jessie and James climbed up a tree, seating themselves on opposite branches and holding up the binoculars to share as they peeked into the windows. They spotted Ash's group, Misty on one side of an arena with a boy they'd never seen on the other side.

Inside, Ash asked, "What do you two have to battle for?"

"Butt out, Ash!" Misty snapped back, holding a Poké Ball. "I have the Cerulean Gym's reputation to defend! And I'm gonna _defend_ it! Misty calls, Starmie!"

The Mysterious Pokémon appeared, and Joe smiled, recognizing it from the simulator, "Too bad your Water Pokémon won't be able to beat my plant. All right, Weepinbell, let's go!"

The Flycatcher Pokémon appeared with a "Bell…"

Misty muttered angrily, "I'll teach him about Pokémon!" She pointed forward, "Water Gun!"

Starmie hovered into the air with a spin to get a better angle and hit Weepinbell with a blast of water, sending him flying with the sheer force. Weepinbell flew over Joe's shoulder to the student's shock and slammed into the window behind him. When he fell to the ground, he was unconscious.

"Huh?!" Joe exclaimed. "But Weepinbell is strong against Water Pokémon!"

A new voice cut in, "True, but there's one thing you _didn't_ know."

Everybody turned, seeing Giselle enter the room along with the other five students from earlier. Ash and his friends recognized her from the picture, her long and shining brown hair identifying her as well.

* * *

Jessie and James watched the new development and the battle from their spot, internally delighting that Misty's Pokémon weren't weak, but that their own were just that much stronger. They were worried that they'd be spotted when the Weepinbell slammed against the window, but the girl that had just shown up drew all of their attention to her.

After listening to her long-winded and arrogant introduction, the two agents lowered their shared binoculars, taking a break from spying on Ash's group, Jessie commenting, "I think she's even more conceited than _we_ are."

"Yes, but she's awfully cute, isn't she?" James observed.

Meowth was suddenly standing on the branch between them, "Mm, not as cute as Meowth!"

They were surprised by his sudden presence and had to rebalance themselves on their respective branches. "What are you doing back here?" Jessie asked. Meowth was also wearing a belt with two walkie-talkies attached to it.

"Da Boss sent us some tech when I said it'd help us get a batch of powerful Pokémon," Meowth said, recalling the odd red and white bird that delivered the packages. "Oh, yeah, I also picked dese up from da supplies." He handed one to James.

"And the plan?" James asked.

"Jus' wait till they're outta da buildin' an'…" Meowth trailed off as his eyes drifted towards the window, his feline eyes seeing the battle inside without need for binoculars, "Holy cow."

As if timed by the comment, Misty's Starmie crashed through one of the windows to the room, flying to the pool in the distance. A Graveler was on the arena inside now. More than that, Meowth had seen Starmie's gem shattered by the Rock Pokémon. He almost felt bad for the redhead. She looked absolutely devastated.

Still, a Rock/Ground Pokémon that powerful would be a great steal. He saw the brunette girl return the Graveler to the rolling shelf inside. Ash's group and the Tech students were leaving the room.

Meowth got Jessie and James' attention from the pool and said, "Quick, let's get down from dis tree, an' I'll give ya da skinny."

* * *

Misty was by the poolside, soaked from retrieving her Pokémon from the bottom. Starmie was in her arms with the Pokémon's points drooping and Misty cradling the fragments of the gem that she'd retrieved from the arena inside. They would help heal Starmie marginally faster…

When Misty applied the fragments, they reattached to the broken core, but it still appeared fractured and the Mysterious Pokémon was motionless. Starmie would be out of commission for quite a while without some professional medical help. **(3)**

Ash and Brock were unable to say anything, seeing Misty so worried and depressed.

Giselle spoke up, "Now we're by the pool, your Pokémon's specialty. You can use a different Water Pokémon if you want."

Misty growled, "Oh, and I'm _sure_ you'll choose another Pokémon that's weak against water."

"Pokémon are only as strong as the Trainer that raises them," Giselle stated. "A Pokémon that's at a disadvantage but better trained can still win; it depends on the Trainer." She looked over her shoulder, "I hope you're learning something from this, Joe."

At Joe's questioning look, Giselle outlined, "A Pokémon's level of training is just as important a factor as its type in deciding a match. A first-class Pokémon Trainer can calculate that."

Ash stepped forward, "Wait a minute! There's more to Pokémon training than calculating levels!"

Giselle looked at Ash, as if barely noticing him, "Who are _you_?"

"I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet," Ash stated, "and I've already got two badges."

"In other words, you're a beginner," Giselle tittered. "And how long have you been a Pokémon Trainer?"

Ash gave it some thought and said, "About two months, I guess."

Giselle gave a mock gasp, "Two whole _months_ and you let your Pikachu walk free? You haven't even been able to tame it yet?" She smiled, "Maybe your Pokémon are training _you_."

"I don't want to 'tame' Pikachu; Pikachu's my friend," Ash defended, "along with Butterfree, Pidgeotto and Rattata!"

Giselle blinked, "Is that all you have? That's funny, because even _new_ Pokémon Trainers usually have at least _six_ Pokémon. And you got two badges with only four." She addressed the group of students behind her, "He sure was lucky, wasn't he?"

"I've worked with every one of my Pokémon, and each of them easily has the power of two!" Ash retorted.

"With two months of Pokémon experience, your Pikachu should be at least Level 25," Giselle said as if reciting from a textbook, "but it's probably not there yet, is it."

Pikachu seethed at the condescending tone, and Giselle continued, "I suppose you didn't know very much about Pokémon if you picked a Pikachu as your first one. Pikachu tend to be hard to handle, it says so in any _beginning_ Pokémon manual."

When Ash scowled and didn't reply, Giselle gasped again before laughing, "You _really_ didn't know? And you got _two_ badges? How funny!" Then she recited with her eyes closed, "Pikachu evolves into an Electric Pokémon called Raichu; it gets to be about two feet, seven inches tall. Pikachu can shock you, but otherwise, it's pretty cute, don't you think? So if you don't let them evolve, they make great pets; especially for little girls. But surely you knew that." She opened one eye, "Didn't you? Really, you didn't? And you have _two_ badges?" Giselle burst out laughing, finding Ash and his methods amusing.

Ash interrupted her laughter, "Knock it off!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu's cheeks sparked from Ash being insulted. Ash stepped forward aggressively, "Let's battle!"

Giselle smiled and held up a Poké Ball, one of her own, apparently, "For your Pikachu, this'll be more than a match," She flourished artfully as she threw it, "Cubone, go!"

Ash held up his Pokédex as the Pokémon appeared, pointing the electronic eye. Dexter made a pinging sound and spoke up.

 ** _"_** ** _Cubone, the Lonely Pokémon. This Ground-type Pokémon is orphaned the moment it's born and wields its club expertly to defend itself."_**

"A Ground-type," Ash said with a smile, recalling his training after AJ's Gym. He closed his Pokédex and pocketed it, "This'll be different from the last time. Go, Pikachu."

Pikachu nodded confidently, "Pika-pika!" He ran forward and got ready to battle.

"Cubone, open up with a Leer attack!"

"Pikachu, eyes shut!" Ash ordered.

Pikachu closed his eyes as Cubone's eyes narrowed ferociously, making the sight-based intimidation move fail. Ash had come up with it to counter Ekans' Glare. He had even figured out a fighting style to counter eye-contact based attacks.

"Bone Club!"

"Back-step!" Ash instructed. "And then start your Ant-Eye-Combat!" **(4)**

Behind Ash, Misty and Brock face faulted.

Cubone swung the bone in his right hand and Pikachu jumped back a distance, putting himself out of the Ground-type's reach. After he stopped moving, Pikachu opened his eyes again, keeping his sight on Cubone's body like Ash trained him to.

Misty palmed her face, "I _can't_ believe he named it that…"

Giselle ordered, "Cubone, Bonemerang!"

"Dodge it!"

As Cubone threw the club, Pikachu jumped to the side, but Ash saw that it was curving to go after Pikachu, so he yelled, "Pikachu, hit the deck!"

Pikachu dropped to his belly and felt the club hit his tail as it zipped by. He stood up again after it passed and returned to Cubone's hand, and Ash said, "All right, that's enough observing. You know what to do now, right, Pikachu?"

Pikachu nodded, "Pi."

"It doesn't matter how long you stall," Giselle said. "Pikachu aren't known for their constitution, so Cubone can simply outlast you with his immunity."

Ash growled, "This Pikachu is _my friend_ and he's different from any other!"

"Bonemerang, now!" Giselle ordered.

Pikachu ran forward and jumped over the flying club before pouncing on Cubone's skull, twisting it backwards. Cubone stumbled around blindly as Giselle gasped in surprise.

Ash smiled, "Good work, Pikachu, now give it everything you've got!"

Pikachu bit down on Cubone's tail, scratched his back furiously with his tiny paws and then kicked him in the head, causing his skull to spin around again. Cubone managed to stop his skull spinning while it was facing forward, but he was too late to stop his returning club from hitting him in the face.

Giselle gasped again as Cubone fell back and started crying. Pikachu returned to Ash, and the young Trainer picked him up, congratulating Pikachu for his victory.

Giselle fell to her knees and returned Cubone, "Cubone, good try. Come on back, don't cry." She turned to Ash, "None of the textbooks ever mention a Pikachu winning by anything other than electricity."

Joe was stunned, "That was a once-in-a-lifetime battle."

"And don't try to copy it," Misty commented, much to Ash's ire. "It was just kind of a fluke."

"It was a cool fluke," Joe granted.

* * *

Jessie and James watched from the fence surrounding the pool, Jessie grinning, "There's _another_ way to win that's not in the textbooks too, isn't there James?"

James grinned back as he pulled up one of the fog machines from the gate, "Let's show them!"

* * *

Giselle was still on the ground, "I can't believe I lost a match! Huh…?" Fog was rolling in. Ash looked at it with horror and said, "Oh no, it's not…!"

Jessie and James stood within the curtain of fog, saying in unison, "Allow us to reintroduce ourselves."

"To protect the world from devastation,"

"To unite all peoples within our nation,"

As the fog dispersed, it still hung to their waist-level, revealing their faces to the children.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love,"

"To extend our reach to the stars above,"

"Jessie!"  
"James!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

Meowth's silhouette could be seen within the fog, saying, "Meowth! Dat's right!"

James chuckled, "Excellent delivery, Meowth. Now stand back, this is between us and the Tech."

Meowth turned and walked to the gate of the pool before disappearing into the fog.

"Team Rocket?" Giselle asked as the fog still blew around. Then she looked at Jessie and James for a bit before adding, "Wait, I remember you two. You scored the lowest ever on the entrance exams."

She held up a Poké Ball from the cart, "How about _your_ team versus _our_ team?" Each of the six students behind her pulled out their own Poké Balls as well.

"T-two of _us_ against all of _them_?!" Jessie asked, slightly panicked.

James held up his hands, "B-but the rules say one-on-one!"

"Bad guys don't play by the rules! Get 'em!" They all threw their Poké Balls at once.

As they flew over, Team Rocket suddenly smirked and James said, "How right you are." A small device with a button on it slid out of his sleeve, and he pressed it. The Poké Balls suddenly changed course, being pulled back towards the Trainers that threw them. The fog was also sucked up and Mankey was revealed to be standing by the cart with a metal backpack, two funneled hoses coming out of the top. Rocket standard issue for stealing Poké Balls, aside from the smaller size suited for Mankey. The Poké Balls were sucked into the hoses and he turned around, sucking up the remainder from the cart.

"No!" Ash shouted. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

James had already been dashing around the pool, jumping across the corners, and he absorbed the electricity with his Zap Sapper by the time Pikachu fired. After Mankey secured all of the Poké Balls, James ran alongside Mankey to cover him as the Pig Monkey Pokémon ran back to Jessie's side.

"Well," Jessie said smugly, "now all your 'better trained' Pokémon can serve Team Rocket. Bye~"

"Staryu! Stop them!" Misty said as she held the Poké Ball in her hand to release Staryu.

"James," Jessie signaled with a smile.

James aimed the Zap Sapper and shot Staryu, knocking him into the pool and then firing again to shock Ash, his friends and the Tech students. Once they were on the ground, James took some pellets out of his pocket, "Time for Team Rocket to blast off once again!"

He threw them to the ground and a cloud of smoke rapidly eclipsed the whole swimming area, seeming to mix with the fog.

Ash managed to pull out one of his own Poké Balls, "Pidgeotto! Follow Team Rocket! Don't let them get away!"

* * *

Jessie, James and Mankey ran towards the forest, making sure to make plenty of noise as they did so.

James dropped another smoke bomb, causing a plume of black smoke to rise in the forest. Jessie smacked him over the head, "You clumsy oaf! What if the twerps saw that?" Then she smirked and asked jokingly, "Do you _want_ them to find us so easily?"

"We're much faster runners than them," James defended with a shrug. "We'll be long gone before they follow a trail here."

"Pidgeo!"

The three of them looked up and saw Ash's Pidgeotto flying towards them, having spotted the smoke. James chuckled sheepishly, "Birds, on the other hand…"

Jessie huffed and took out a Poké Ball, "I have to do _everything_ around here, don't I? Beedrill, Twineedle!" The Poison Bee Pokémon emerged and prepared to engage Pidgeotto.

Pidgeotto blew a Gust attack, but Beedrill simply flew above the raging wind while Jessie, James and Mankey widened their stances to endure it. Beedrill flew forward and Pidgeotto barely dodged before being forced on the defensive.

Jessie laughed, "You know, you have some guts to challenge us without your Trainer to give orders. Beedrill, show this bird your Drill Stinger!"

Beedrill's needles sharpened into swords and he extended them forward, spinning as he flew towards Pidgeotto. Pidgeotto blew another Gust, but Beedrill cut straight through the wind like a drill. Pidgeotto dodged and flew up into the air. There would be serious consequences if that attack connected. Beedrill circled around and chased after Pidgeotto.

"You've got it on the ropes, Beedrill, darling!" Jessie cheered.

But the ground started rumbling and Onix burst out of the ground. He looked around and spotted Beedrill, swatting him out of the sky with his tail. Beedrill was knocked into a tree and buzzed angrily before getting up and staring down Onix.

Jessie groaned, "Why can't it ever _just_ be easy for us?"

"Not a problem, Jessie," James comforted as he took the Vacuum Pack from Mankey. "Mankey, deal with that oversized snake!"

Mankey chittered excitedly and strafed to avoid some rocks thrown by Onix as he approached and slid to the ground. Kicking Onix with Low Kick, he threw the giant Pokémon off balance and followed up by proceeding to climb up the rock snake. Onix tried to bind him, but Mankey was as elusive as… well, a monkey.

Beedrill's wings were damaged from being slammed into the tree, so he was stuck on the ground trying to shoot Pidgeotto down with Pin Missile. Jessie held up another Poké Ball, "Ekans, help Beedrill with Poison Sting!"

"Pidgeotto, Cyclone Wing!"

Pidgeotto circled around Beedrill, who was unable to fly away and escape the tornado's suction. Once inside, he was helpless to stop Pidgeotto from attacking him, only able to try blocking as many attacks as he could.

Jessie and James looked, seeing Ash and the others running towards them. They hissed and recalled their Pokémon. They had wasted enough time staying in one place. Once they turned around to run, Brock ordered, "Onix, Rock Throw!"

With a roar, Onix threw giant rocks which piled up and barred Team Rocket's way. Ash had two Poké Balls ready as he said, "You won't get away! Give back those Pokémon."

Jessie smirked, "Silly twerp. Have you forgotten our previous feats? This rock pile is nothing for us."

The duo started scaling the rock pile with precise leaps, but at Ash's order, Pidgeotto flew to the top and knocked them off balance with a Gust attack, knocking them back to the ground. Onix had also extended and formed a perimeter around the remainder of the ways out.

James looked around, and he looked… impressed. He chuckled with a resigned smile, "Well, it seems you've thought of _everything_ here and truly cornered us, twerp. You've cost us some Pokémon. We admit defeat."

Ash blinked in surprise, lowering his Poké Balls slightly, "…What?"

James opened the pack and swung it, tossing the Poké Balls over to their side. Misty wasn't convinced, "…Why would you give up so easily?"

James shrugged, "We're sensible enough to know when a plan is unsalvageable. There's no point in continuing if it'll just be a waste of time. Time is money."

"Besides," Jessie added, "this is hardly our A-game. We can only grow stronger."

Ash scowled, "I'll always grow stronger to beat you!"

"That's not what your win/loss record says~" James taunted in a sing-song tone.

Jessie counted off each encounter with her two hands, "Let's see… You won at Viridian, plus the first time in Viridian Forest." She raised two fingers on her left hand. "But we beat you the second time around." A finger was raised on her right. "I _guess_ you won outside of Pewter, since we had to run. Boy, did you lose at Mt. Moon with the Moon Stone."

Ash growled as another finger was raised on Jessie's right hand. Jessie ignored it and continued, "And the Sandshrew… Well, not bad, twerp, you've beaten us twice as many times as we've beaten you."

"Still," James said, "far from a perfect record. Can you really stop us from turning it around on you? Or will you soon have to flee each time to keep your Pikachu? Only time will tell."

Jessie chuckled as James held up a walkie-talkie to his ear, "But, it seems we're going to be adding another point to _our_ score today."

James nodded and put the communicator away before clapping his hands, "All right, Jess, show's over."

The Trainers took a step back in surprise and Brock demanded, "What are you playing at? We've stopped you from completing your mission!"

"My _exact_ words were, 'You've cost us _some_ Pokémon,'" James outlined with a grin.

Jessie's eyes narrowed as she smirked, "And I even hinted that this isn't our A-game. _You_ seem to have forgotten about someone."

* * *

It was absolute chaos back at Pokémon Tech. Smoke filled the hallways, throwing teachers and students alike into disarray. As they were trying to unite against the threat, most suffered from scratches or bruises.

Another door to a simulation room was barged against until Koffing broke it down with a "Koffing!"

Meowth stepped over the fallen doors and had a Vacuum Pack of his own which was already filled with several dozen Poké Balls. While Jessie and James waited for their moment at the pool, he had been checking out the different rooms to see which ones had those racks of Poké Balls. This was the last room. He whistled and said, "Hey, bird-brain, help me out over here."

Fearow came in with another Vacuum Pack, and Meowth pressed the buttons on two triggers similar to James'. The packs whirred to life, and the Poké Balls were sucked into the two packs in mere moments.

Meowth laughed as he jumped despite the weight of the vacuum and all of the Poké Balls, "Hee-hee-hee! I can't believe dat trainin' actually paid off! Over fifty balls in here, an' I still feel light as a feather!"

"Stop!"

Without turning around, Meowth signaled, "Koffing."

Koffing blew Smog into the intruders' faces, and they were reduced to coughing. Meowth slipped past them, and he thought, 'Sure is lucky I'm so short the Smog don't get ta me. An' any dat tink ta crawl get a face full o' da Fury Swipes!'

As Koffing broke a window, Meowth jumped out, Fearow catching him and flying him in the direction he indicated, back to camp, as Koffing flew alongside them. In the exact opposite direction that Jessie and James had led Ash and the others into.

He picked up his walkie-talkie and called James to let them know that he was out of the building.

* * *

"So that's the long and short of it," James finished. "We tricked you. We're now miles away from where we made camp, and Meowth is on his way there now with all of the Pokémon from within Pokémon Tech."

Ash, Misty and Brock were standing there stunned, and the Tech students had already fled back to the school once they realized the direction the story was taking.

James took out a handful of smoke pellets, "Really, you should've realized that something was wrong when I used garden-variety smoke pellets instead of Koffing."

"Or why I used Beedrill instead of Fearow," Jessie added as she took out a Poké Ball. "Sure, my darling's got strength, but Fearow would've been a much better match. But there's no time to play games. Farewell!"

James threw down the smoke pellets and Jessie opened the Poké Ball, "Ekans! Dig a tunnel for us to escape!"

The smoke dispersed and they heard Ekans' cry, which snapped them out of their shock.

"Pidgeotto, Gust this smoke away!"

Pidgeotto did so, but there was already a large hole dug in the ground, Jessie, James and Ekans gone.

"Onix, follow them!" Brock ordered. Maybe they'd still be able to head them off at their camp!

There was a muffled voice from below as Onix went down, and the Rock Snake Pokémon reared back up as there was steaming liquid on his face; an Acid attack. Brock hurriedly recalled Onix before it got worse.

Jessie's laugh echoed up, but it was fading as they got further away, "Haven't you ever heard not to chase a snake down their burrow?"

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" James called in a barely audible voice.

Ash pinched the bridge of his nose, furious with himself. Again, he didn't realize that Team Rocket was split up for a reason until it was too late! The only difference this time was that they had a fake target set up instead of just drawing them into a fight.

Ash didn't look forward to having to go back to the school, but he recalled Pidgeotto and started trudging back. When Misty and Brock watched him, he looked at them and muttered, "Come on, I'm not explaining what happened alone…"

As the trio somberly made their way back, Ash noted to himself, 'If they're not all together, find the one that's missing.'

When they got back to the school, they heard from Giselle that the school board was going to convene on what to do. But it was most likely that the school would have to shut down for a time until they could catch new Pokémon to train for the students' use.

* * *

Meowth had both Vacuum Packs open as he slipped each Pokémon into the transporter. It identified each Pokémon by scanning them, and he sent whatever was rare or seemed powerful. Whatever wasn't sent was put in a small pile next to the machine. Fearow was resting on a nearby tree branch and Koffing just sat on the ground.

Once Meowth heard somebody coming in, he glanced to see Jessie and James come in with Ekans.

"Good ta see ya back," Meowth said. "With how long ya were takin' I thought da twoips tore ya apart."

"Ekans has limits," Jessie justified. "She can't pull both me and James. We surfaced a ways away from the school and walked the rest of the way."

James laughed, "Another flawlessly coordinated plan! What was the haul? Did the Boss like it?"

"Lots o' good catches," Meowth said with a grin as he sent another one. "Along wit' a few dat were jus' powerful, like da Graveler, there was an Electabuzz, a Scyther, a Cloyster, a Seadra, a Ponyta, a Wigglytuff, an', get dis, a _Dratini_."

Jessie and James balked, "A _DRATINI_?!"

"Isn't that line super rare?!" Jessie questioned.

James thought about it and realized, "Its line is the only known species of Dragon-type Pokémon! A super elite school that teaches about Pokémon battling, of _course_ they'd catch one for students to learn with!"

"Oh, are we getting a larger cut for this haul?" Jessie asked. "Please tell me we are!"

"Better," Meowth replied. "In exchange for agreein' with a standard cut o' da profit, I managed ta get a raise on our salary. We get three hundred more bucks every month!"

The feline Pokémon suddenly found himself swept up by Jessie and James, the two of them nuzzling against him, showering him with praise.

Meowth laughed, but batted them with his paws, "Alright, alright! Lay off! I got transferrin' ta do!"

They complied, and James said with a grin, "Who's hungry? I'll make us some dinner!"

"I'll get the firewood," Jessie offered, holding up Beedrill's Poké Ball as she went into the forest.

Team Rocket celebrated their raise with a hearty stew of dried beef and potatoes with carrots. Giovanni was very pleased with their results and said that he had locked in on their signal, allowing their new hot air balloon to be sent on its way overnight.

* * *

 **Hooooooly schist! Long chapter (Over 10 freakin' thousand words!)! This time I just couldn't find an appropriate stopping point, so I kept writing until the end of the episode. You wanna know what's even worse? Originally, this was going to be how far Chapter 5 was going to go! Anyway, next up is FtM, so I'll hopefully have that done before the week is out. Lord knows that it's been enough time what with school, relatives and general stuff of life.**

 **Notes:**

 **1\. I always wondered just how Team Rocket replaced the balloon whenever it got blown up. Early on it was just slight tears, so it was somewhat understandable that they could just patch it up. But soon after, the balloon was straight up exploding. Talented they may be in their craft, but I'm not 100% sure they could craft functional hot air balloons every time. If this is the reason, no wonder Giovanni's so fed up with them in canon. And why they don't travel by balloon for most of Unova.**

 **2\. They were already within the gate, so it's not unreasonable to assume that there were fog machines at the school gate/in a perimeter around the school wall.**

 **3\. In the show, she had her hand over the supposedly shattered gem. This is my reasoning why.**

 **4\. Yes, I named it that on purpose. Ant-Eye = Anti. Yes, it's because I love puns, yes I plan to use them at every opportunity, and no, I'll never stop.**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	7. Chapter 7: The Village Guardian

**Hey, peoples! It's good to be back to this story, as much as I enjoyed writing For the Mission.**

* * *

Chapter 7: The Village Guardian

Continuing on their way to Vermillion City, after a stop at a Pokémon Center to heal Starmie, Ash and his companions decided to try cutting through the forest beside the main road to shorten their journey. Ash took the lead, relying on his instincts and the sun's position to ensure they kept going straight.

"Don't worry. I'm positive this way'll take us back to the path," Ash reassured them while Pikachu rode on his backpack to not get lost in the tall grass.

Brock raised an eyebrow, "'Positive', huh?"

"That's what you said an _hour_ ago!" Misty complained. "I'm tired! I _told_ you to stick to the main road, but _you_ had to take a shortcut!"

Ash turned around, " _I_ took a shortcut? It was _you_ who said to go this way!"

"Ha! If _I_ was leading, we wouldn't have gotten lost like this!" Misty retorted.

Ash leaned forward, scowling, "Who says we're lost?!"

"Listen, _genius_ , if you don't know where you are or where you're going, that means you're _lost_!" Misty shouted.

Brock held his hands up, "Chill, chill!"

Misty backed away slightly with her arms crossed, "Alright. But remind me to yell at you some more if we ever get to Vermillion City."

After traveling through more of the forest, they reached a glade with some large boulders. Ash let out a breath of relief, tired from traveling. Each of the trio and Pikachu took a seat as the Pallet Trainer said, "Time for a break."

They relaxed for a moment until Ash heard a soft, lapping sound. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a small blue Pokémon with five leafy fronds for hair taking a drink. The Grass Pokémon stood shorter than even Pikachu, factoring out the height of their leaves, with a small round body. They also possessed no arms, just two short legs for mobility.

Ash turned around, immediately getting psyched again as he took out his Pokédex and whispered, "A Pokémon!" Dexter pinged and spoke up, presenting a picture from the front that revealed the Pokémon's tiny red eyes.

 ** _"_** ** _Oddish, the Weed Pokémon. This Pokémon is typically found roaming the forest, scattering pollen as it walks around."_**

"A Grass-type!" Ash whispered excitedly as he took out Pidgeotto's Poké Ball. "I'll catch 'em!"

Misty ran in front of him and held out a hand, "Hold it!"

"What for?" Ash asked as he blinked.

Misty turned around, "Because _I'm_ gonna catch that Pokémon."

"Aw, no way, Misty! I saw 'em first!" Ash defended, dropping his whisper.

"Well we found it around the water, and water's my specialty," Misty reasoned as if that justified her side of the argument.

"Oddish! Oddish! Oddish!"

The two Trainers turned and saw the tiny Pokémon had heard their argument. He ran towards the bushes to escape. Misty acted before Ash had the chance.

She took out a Poké Ball and threw it, "Go, Starmie!"

The Mysterious Pokémon appeared, her gem whole and unmarred again, and barred Oddish's way. The Grass-type froze for a moment before running off in a different direction.

"Water Gun, now!" Misty ordered.

Starmie shot a stream of water and knocked Oddish into the air. Misty cheered, "That's the way to spray! Tackle it, Starmie!"

The Water-type span through the air and intercepted the falling Weed Pokémon, knocking him to the ground. Oddish lay on his side in front of the bushes, dazed from the attacks.

"That weakened it!" Misty said as she took out an empty Poké Ball. "Gotta catch it now! Poké Ball, go!"

Misty threw the sphere, but a larger quadruped figure dashed out of the bushes and jumped, bashing the Poké Ball away. After landing protectively in front of Oddish, the new Pokémon growled at Misty and Starmie.

Misty's eyes widened as the ball landed at her feet, "Uh-oh…"

The new arrival had a frog-like head on a beast's body with blue-green skin and teal patches made for camouflaging against greenery. A green plant bulb grew on their back and red eyes contrasted against the rest of his body. The Grass-type also had short claws on each of their feet.

Ash recognized the larger Pokémon from Professor Oak's documentary on the starters. His eyes sparkled, "Wow! I can't believe it! A Bulbasaur!"

Bulbasaur charged Starmie and knocked her away with a Tackle attack. Misty caught her Pokémon as the points went limp on the Water-type's body. The Mysterious Pokémon still couldn't battle for long due to her recent ordeal.

"Oh, Starmie!"

Ash stepped forward with a Poké Ball, his hat turned around already, "Now it's my turn! Pidgeotto, I choose you!" He knew Grass-types had a weakness to Flying-type moves, like Gust and Wing Attack, and Pidgeotto wouldn't go down as easily as Butterfree, even if the Bug-type knew Gust as well.

Bulbasaur growled again as Pidgeotto soared skyward from his thrown ball.

"Pidgeotto, Gust attack!" Ash ordered. Pidgeotto beat his wings with a trilling cry, sending an arcing wind towards the Seed Pokémon.

Bulbasaur dug his claws into the ground and grabbed hold of Oddish with two Vine Whips. His cheeks puffed up as he took in a deep breath and blew a fierce gale to counter Pidgeotto's own. The two winds mixed together and started forming a massive tornado that pulled in dust along with foliage from the surrounding trees and Pidgeotto from the air.

Ash held onto his hat and tried to resist the pull as he called out, "Pidgeotto, stop!"

Without enough momentum to make the vortex self-sustaining, the tentative tornado stopped spinning, dropping all of the leaves and dust in a massive cloud. By the time it cleared, Bulbasaur and Oddish had long since escaped.

"Oh, the Bulbasaur…" Ash whined. "It's not fair! I wanted to catch 'em!"

He returned Pidgeotto and the trio followed the direction that Oddish had tried running to earlier. Eventually, they came to two cliffs connected by a wood and rope bridge with a raging river down below. While they traveled, Ash pulled up Bulbasaur's Pokédex entry to make sure he had the right Pokémon in mind. The situation had been so high-tension before that he'd forgotten.

 ** _"_** ** _Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokémon. It bears the seed of a plant from birth. The seed slowly develops. Researchers are unsure whether to classify Bulbasaur as a plant or animal. Bulbasaur are extremely rare and very difficult to capture in the wild."_**

Ash closed Dexter with a smile and pocketed the device as he confidently crossed the bridge, saying, "I bet there are Bulbasaur all over this place!"

"But, where _is_ this place?" Misty asked as she crossed more carefully, holding onto the rope rail.

Brock held up a map that showed the main roads of the region they were in, "I can't find this bridge on my map…"

Suddenly, the wind picked up, rocking the bridge, and one of the rope rails snapped, making the bridge tilt on its side. Ash managed to act quick enough to grab one of the ropes forming the railing on the opposite side with one hand, and Misty grabbed onto Ash's leg while Pikachu held onto his Trainer's backpack, but Brock only managed to grip onto the surface of the planks. The smooth wood didn't offer enough purchase and the Pewter Gym Leader slid off the bridge before falling screaming into the river below.

"Brock!" Ash called as he could only watch helplessly. Brock splashed into the water and got washed down the rapids.

Ash closed his eyes, unable to watch as Misty yelled, "Ash, you have to pull us back up, it's our only chance!"

"Pika pi!"

"I… can't…!" Ash replied as he strained just to hold their weight in place with his one arm.

"Yes you _will_! Just pull as hard as you can!"

Reaching down, Ash grabbed a Poké Ball and called out Pidgeotto.

Ash held out his free hand after hooking the ball back to his belt, "Pidgeotto, grab hold and help me pull us up!"

"Pidgeo!"

The young Trainer winced as his Bird Pokémon's talons tightened around his gloved hand, even with Pidgeotto being careful not to claw into the flesh. Regardless, Ash pulled the rope as hard as he could to get up while Pidgeotto flew up, vigorously flapping his wings with Ash's hand in his grip.

After some work, Ash managed to get his other hand onto the ropes and pull with both arms to get Misty up high enough to let go of his leg and grab the ropes herself. The two carefully crossed what remained of the bridge while Pidgeotto kept a close eye on both of them. Once they reached the other cliff, Ash thanked Pidgeotto and returned him before he and Misty promptly fell to their knees on the ground, panting from the close call. Even Pikachu got off of Ash, relieved at the touch of solid ground again.

"Phew…" Ash sighed. "I'm totally wiped out…"

Misty recovered enough to say, "We can't rest now, we've gotta find Brock!"

Ash took a deep breath and stood up along with her and Pikachu, "Right!" They ran down to get to the riverbank further downstream. "Hurry up!" When he heard Misty yell out, he and Pikachu turned around to see Misty in the bottom of a pitfall trap.

"How'd you get down there?" Ash asked.

Misty rubbed her sore bottom, "I _fell_ in, how else?! What's a trap doing here?!"

"It seems pretty strange…" Ash mused.

"Just help me out, quick!" Misty shouted, reaching up.

Ash and Pikachu sighed, the Trainer commenting, "This is just not our day…"

"Pikachu…"

After helping Misty out, the two of them continued down the bank. Ash called out Brock's name repeatedly while Misty looked at the water worriedly.

"Think he washed this far downstream?" Misty asked.

They continued walking towards some trees that lined the bank and their world suddenly tipped over as a net trap snatched all of them up, including Pikachu.

Ash squirmed around, "What the-?! Another trap!"

"Do something!" Misty ordered.

"What can _I_ do?"

"Try wiggling! See if the net will open!" Misty suggested. The two shook the net back and forth for a moment before Ash commented "Oh, this is dumb!"

"If you've got any better ideas, let's hear 'em!" Misty fumed.

A figurative light bulb went off in Ash's head, "I do!" He took a Poké Ball from his belt and expanded it. Misty raised an eyebrow, "You're really going to try releasing a Pokémon when it's already so cramped?"

"A small one," Ash commented before pointing the Poké Ball at himself. "Rattata, come on out!" He popped open the ball and Rattata materialized on Ash's head, clinging to his hat. Misty stifled a laugh at the ridiculous image.

Ash ignored her and said, "Rattata, squeeze through the net and see if you can gnaw through the rope holding it up here!"

"Ra!" his Pokémon nodded.

Ash took off his hat and stretched his arm as high as he could up the net to lift Rattata towards the branch the net hung from. Rattata gripped the netting with her tiny paws and squirmed through before biting into and grabbing onto the branch overhead. Once she got out, her teeth glowed with the energy of Hyper Fang and she cut through the rope with one powerful chomp.

The two Trainers and Pikachu screamed as they plummeted down the drop from the branch to the floor. Rattata looked down concernedly as they rubbed the points of impact. Ash still had his hat in his hand and rubbed his head before shaking it clear.

Misty slapped him before complaining, "Great idea, Einstein! That hurt!"

"We're down from the tree, aren't we?" Ash retorted as he put his hat back on and stood up, popping his back. He held out his hand with a smile and caught Rattata when she jumped down from the branch, "Thanks, Rattata!" He held up her Poké Ball, "Return."

After he put her ball back on his belt, he said to Misty, "Come on, the sooner we find Brock the better."

Unseen by the departing Trainers, a Pokémon watched them get out of the trap and growled. He went down a different path to get ahead of them and try to re-route them.

As they continued into the trees, Ash falling into another pitfall trap dug into the forest path, they still called out Brock's name. They kept looking around and Ash said, "You don't think that Brock got washed all the way down to the ocean, do you?"

"Don't say things like that!" Misty chastised.

"Maybe he got saved and recruited by pirates," Ash mused, "and one of those pirates has a wooden leg."

Misty raised an eyebrow, "You have a crazy imagination!"

Ash just smiled, continuing his story, "Then came the storm…"

"Ahoy!" a familiar voice called. The duo snapped their attention forward again and moved faster. Soon, they saw Brock approaching to meet them from up ahead, waving with a smile.

"Brock!" Ash called. "Thank goodness you're alright!"

Misty added, "We've been looking all over for you!"

"We saw you fall into the river. Then what happened?" Ash asked.

Brock put a hand on the back of his head, "Well, I was being washed away in the rapids when somebody grabbed my hand and pulled me onto the bank. The girl who saved my life was incredibly beautiful…"

Ash nodded, "A beautiful girl, huh? That's even better than pirates. Unless, of course, she was really a pirate in disguise."

"Maybe it's time to get a reality check," Misty commented. Ash laughed lightly in response.

With his story told, Brock offered to introduce them to the person that saved him.

* * *

While Ash and Misty followed Brock, a mass of cloudy vapor floated far behind them, over all the traps of the forest. If one looked closely, they would swear the cloud moved to follow the Trainers.

Inside the heart of the obscuring veil, Team Rocket floated in their hot air balloon, a smaller fog machine they'd engineered from some stolen parts of Pokémon Tech's own versions sitting in the middle of the basket and providing camouflage.

Fearow also perched on the edge of the basket with her eyes trained on the trio below and ahead, since the agents wouldn't be able to ordinarily. She let Meowth know when and how to change course, or stop and start moving, and Meowth relayed the information to James.

Giovanni had been very pleased with the rare Pokémon for auction and the strong Pokémon for the grunts' use from Pokémon Tech. In addition, he had told them to be at Vermillion in two weeks' time for a big operation. He would explain the details via video call when they arrived. The fact that he wanted them there for the operation made the trio feel honored and appreciated.

For now, though, they went back to their default of tracking Ash and aiming to steal his Pikachu.

They had been forced to search nearly blindly since the young Trainer had left the road and their binoculars wouldn't be able to work too well with all of the fog in the way, though the stealth factor made up for it. Perhaps a thermograph upgrade was due for them. They could run it by Giovanni later.

Even though Fearow could look straight through the cover, her gaze was piercing, not telescopic. Luckily a massive tornado beginning to form in the middle of the forest gave them the general direction, and then Fearow spotted them only a moment afterward.

"Say, Jessie," James started, "isn't this supposed to be the forest where that rumored village of Pokémon is supposed to be?"

Jessie glanced back at James through the fog, "Go figure the twerp would find it with his ridiculous luck. He'll probably stop there for a bit to look around, and that's when we'll land the balloon and make our move."

"Now dat we're in da Boss's good graces wit' dat haul o' Pokémon, we can afford ta go after Pikachu today!" Meowth laughed.

James smirked, "Our new invention will certainly ensure its capture. Too bad the upgrades on our balloon aren't done yet, or we could just snatch Pikachu from here and go. But what of the so-called hidden village? Should we raid that too?"

"It's just a place for sick Pokémon to go to," Jessie dismissed. "Only garden-varieties found around this area. If we really wanted one of those Pokémon, we could just as easily catch our own."

"Oh?" James asked as he turned his eyes to Jessie's silhouette. "Should we try making a stop to catch one then? If not for the Boss, we _do_ only have six Pokémon between the three of us. By my count, the twerps have… ten, I believe."

Jessie chuckled as she patted Fearow on the head, "With Fearow, any resistance the twerps can offer is pointless once Pikachu is ours. Her ferocious winds augment my Archer Formation even further! Nothing escapes her keen eyes, and her Mirror Move can return any assault to another Pokémon!"

The Beak Pokémon preened under Jessie's praise and affection while she kept an eye on their targets through the fog.

"[Bank slightly to the left,]" Fearow reported.

Meowth repeated Fearow's instructions, and then said, "We're doin' fine fa now. If we run inta trouble we can always run away an' catch Pokémon later. Ya got those other gadgets, James?"

"Yes and the Twerp Trio will be quite surprised," James answered. "The blueprints went to the Boss. He said it could do with an upgrade, but the concept counted enough, so we can expect to receive a package with the 2.0 in due time."

The three of them grinned as they looked for the village where the Trainers no doubt currently resided.

"Pikachu…" Jessie sung.

"We'll get you!" James rhymed.

The Rocket trio laughed as they flew through the air.

* * *

Brock led them further down the path, weaving around certain parts of it, and he led them to a glade by a pond where a log cabin stood. In the clearing, a blue-haired girl in a pink shirt and red overalls tended to some Pokémon, including the Oddish from earlier. Her hair was tied back with a light green bow into a plait that reached to the small of her back. Once she noticed the Trainers she smiled and stood up to greet them.

"Melanie, this is Ash and Misty," Brock said.

Ash said hello, and Melanie smiled, "So you're Brock's friends; he told me all about you."

Misty nodded and then noticed all of the Pokémon eating food from bowls, "Do all of those Pokémon belong to you?"

"Oh, no," Melanie answered. Brock explained, "This is a place where Pokémon are able to rest and relax."

"Like summer camp?" Ash asked.

Brock replied, "Well, sort of, but all year long. You see when Pokémon get abandoned or injured, they can come here. Melanie takes care of them until they feel better. Then they leave."

Misty tilted her head, "So this is a Pokémon Center, and Melanie is a Pokémon doctor."

"Oh, no," Melanie said, shaking her head. "I'm not qualified to be a Pokémon doctor."

"This is more like a Pokémon health spa," Brock explained.

When Ash and Misty still looked confused, Melanie elaborated. "Here, the Pokémon don't battle with one another. They relax and try to enjoy themselves until they recover."

"Cool!" Misty commented.

Brock walked over to them and said, "Melanie collects plants to use for medicine. She knows all about which plants can help a Pokémon feel better or grow stronger when it's too weak."

"So you and Melanie both love to take care of Pokémon," Ash commented.

Brock smiled fondly while he watched Melanie go back to tending the Pokemon, "We do."

Misty raised an eyebrow before smiling deviously, "Well, it looks to me like there's something _else_ Brock might love…"

Brock's entire face turned red in embarrassment and he rushed over to Misty before clamping a hand over her mouth.

"Be quiet…!" he whispered. "She might hear you…!"

While the three Trainers stayed at Melanie's cabin, she apologized for the traps they fell for, saying that she had to capture Pokémon Trainers before they reached all of the weak Pokémon she looked after.

Brock took them aside after that discussion and said, "I promised Melanie we wouldn't capture any Pokémon here."

Misty grinned cheekily, "And did you seal the promise with a kiss? Ow!" Brock bashed her over the head while blushing. Misty frowned, but then grinned again, "So that must mean you really _do_ love her- ow!"

While Misty rubbed the top of her head, Ash sighed and said, "Well, I guess I'll have to keep your promise."

"Only bad guys try to capture sick Pokémon," Misty said after recovering.

"Bad guys…" Ash mused. "You think we should stick around to guard Melanie and her Pokémon from you-know-who?"

Brock replied, "Why do you think I brought you here instead of leading you around the village like Bulbasaur wanted me to?"

Ash's eyes widened, "Bulbasaur is _here_?"

* * *

Having confirmed their location and seen the traps that Ash and Misty stumbled into, Team Rocket landed their balloon, turning off the fog machine and heading over to the village on foot. James led the way with a thick branch, cut down courtesy of Beedrill. He swept it over the ground that the trio traversed, pressing down with it the entire time.

With the stick, he managed to poke holes in three pitfalls, giving away their locations and cause a net trap to pull up nothing but air.

"Told you all we needed was a strong stick," James gloated as he looked up at the empty net hanging from the branch.

Jessie rolled her eyes, "It's hardly an entrance if we _walk_ into the village."

"If a low-key entrance saves our balloon, then I'm all fer it," Meowth commented as he tested out their invention's aim and curving. "Poifect. All we need is ta sneak within ten yards, an' Pikachu's ours!"

* * *

Before Ash could look around for the Seed Pokémon, Brock explained Bulbasaur's earlier actions. He said that Bulbasaur acted as the village's guardian and was protecting Oddish from Misty's attack earlier, which is why he fled with Oddish instead of staying and battling Ash. Bulbasaur had directed Brock to where Ash and Misty were in the hopes that they'd leave once they reunited.

The Pewter Gym Leader also mentioned that Bulbasaur didn't like Pokémon Trainers, and he wanted all three of them to leave.

Ash's eyes widened, "Bulbasaur cares so much about the Pokémon that he'd be the village guardian. Now that's what I call bravery! It'd be great to have a Pokémon like that."

Before anybody could comment, an explosion sounded near Melanie's cabin. All three Trainers turned around in shock and immediately ran back to the village.

* * *

"How precious," Jessie cooed.

James chuckled, "The itty-bitty Bulbasaur thinks he can stand up to _us_."

Bulbasaur growled as Ekans, Koffing and Fearow looked down at him. He lashed out with his vines, but Fearow and Koffing flew up while Ekans burrowed underground. The Seed Pokémon tried to catch Fearow with his vines, but he immediately forgot that when he heard the ground burst behind him and the other Pokemons' scared cries.

He turned around to stop Ekans as she loomed over the Pokémon, Melanie barring the way fearfully, and got hit in the back by Fearow's dive bomb attack. He hit the ground and rolled, but he kept trying to get up anyway.

"Rattata, Quick Fang!"

Ekans turned, but acted too late. She got cut down the side of her neck with the Mouse Pokémon's speedy assault and then turned to engage the new opponent. Bulbasaur sighed with relief that his charges were okay. Then his expression turned befuddled when he saw Ash and the others running back to the village.

Jessie gave the trio a casual glance and said, "Oh, the twerps. Whatever shall we do now, Fearow?"

"They must've heard our preemptive strike on the grounds, but they missed our motto!" James pouted.

"You're not getting any of these Poké-"

The instant they stepped into the glade, a mechanical hand shot out from one of the trees nearby, a camera lens attached to the palm. It homed in on Pikachu and grabbed the Electric-type. Ash gasped and Pikachu tried squirming out of the grip.

Meowth dropped down from the tree along with Mankey. Pikachu charged up and zapped the hand with a Thunder Shock, but all of the electricity traveled down the flexible metal arm to the control that Meowth held. The feline Pokémon only spared them a glance before he ran towards Jessie and James.

Misty threw out a Poké Ball, "Staryu, Tackle on Meowth!" The Star-Shaped Pokémon emerged from the container spinning towards Meowth, but Mankey turned around and caught Staryu before throwing him back at Misty. The Water-type Trainer barely ducked before Staryu became embedded in the tree trunk behind her.

Ash ran forward, taking out another Poké Ball as Meowth got back to his partners.

"You're not getting away!"

James smirked, "Oh, I think we _are_." The male agent took out a bomb and lit it before glancing at the village Pokémon and Melanie. Everyone's eyes besides Team Rocket's widened in fear when James tossed it at the gathered Pokémon. Bulbasaur tried extending his vines but couldn't so he ran in front of the explosive as Ekans got called back and James ordered, "Koffing, Smokescreen."

The Poison Gas Pokémon released a cloud of obscuring gas around Team Rocket as they made their escape, Pikachu crying out. Bulbasaur got ready to tackle away the bomb as it drew closer. But before he could begin his charge, another figure obstructed him.

Ash had changed course the instant that he saw the other Pokémon in danger, dropping the Poké Ball and accidentally releasing Butterfree. Once the bomb was in his reach, Ash took off his hat and scooped the projectile up with it. In the same motion, he spun around once and swung the explosive high into the air.

"Everybody duck and cover!"

The bomb exploded while everybody who could cover their ears did so. Butterfree landed in order to get away from the blast. Once the din wore off, Ash stood up first, immediately saying, "Butterfree, Rattata, Bulbasaur's hurt. Stay here and help him guard the village in case Team Rocket comes back."

Misty spoke up as she pointed her Poké Ball at Staryu still stuck in the tree, "We have to go after Team Rocket before they get away with Pikachu! Staryu, return!"

"We don't know this forest as well as they know the path back to their balloon," Brock commented. "If we send a flier after them, it might get taken down before we get there, and Onix doesn't stand a chance against that Mankey, as much as I hate to admit it. Let's run after them!"

While the trio left, Ash's two Pokémon left behind to stand guard, Bulbasaur watched them go. He glanced at Melanie while she made sure everybody was okay. It was standard practice; Bulbasaur would only allow himself to be checked after he saw that nobody got hurt.

"Weepinbell, Caterpie, Staryu…? Okay. Bulba-" Melanie froze when she saw that Bulbasaur had vanished.

* * *

Team Rocket ran through the brush, having called back their Pokémon so as to more stealthily move, jumping over the pits they'd exposed earlier. Pikachu still struggled against and zapped the mechanical hand in an effort to get out of its vice grip.

Meowth laughed, "Squirm all ya want, Pikachu! We built dis thing ta hold as tight as a straitjacket!"

"CHUUUUU!" Pikachu zapped the hand again with a Thunderbolt. The electricity traveled down the arm again and Meowth eyed the gauge as it crawled slowly but surely to the latter half of the capacity. Unseen by Pikachu, he worried his bottom lip. The Zap Sapper ordinarily functioned by absorbing electricity and firing it back. It could easily take _one_ of Pikachu's Thunderbolts, and they enlarged the capacity for this invention, but what about several? And with no launching it back out…

Meowth kept his voice smug as he said, "All ya'll do is tire yaself out!"

Pikachu didn't listen and zapped the hand twice more. The needle on the control started trembling as it ventured into the red zone. Meowth started panicking, "I said _stop_!"

At that point Jessie and James turned around at Meowth's tone and their eyes widened when they saw Pikachu still pouring out electricity and the control starting to spark before Meowth tossed it away and the trio hid among the trees as the controller cracked.

Only a brief flash warned the surrounding forest before a deafening thunderclap sounded and an explosion of electricity surged outward. Once the explosion faded, Pikachu stood panting on the charred ground with the nearby trees scorched black and all of their leaves burned away.

'This is bad…' Pikachu thought. 'I used all of my power to get out of that…'

As darkness fell over the electric mouse's vision, he could only utter in his own tongue, "[Ash… help…]"

Pikachu fell unconscious and the Rocket trio peeked out from their hiding places. They eyed the damage Pikachu had done and Meowth said, "Dang, gonna hafta upgrade da capacitors if Pikachu's packin' dis kinda heat."

James took out a pair of rubber gloves, "Regardless, if it's unconscious, standard insulation will be enough."

As they made their way across the charred ground, they heard rustling. Their instincts flared and they tried to make a running grab for Pikachu. But a pair of vines snatched the Electric Pokémon away, causing all three to face-plant on the ground.

They immediately got to their feet and saw Bulbasaur running away with Pikachu, trying to lose them by using the foliage as camouflage. Unfortunately for him, Pikachu's yellow fur stuck out to the criminals.

"Oh, no you don't!" Jessie growled as she threw a Poké Ball. "Beedrill, Swords Dance! Don't let that Bulbasaur get away with _our_ Pikachu!"

The Poison Bee Pokémon appeared and his stingers sharpened into blades. He cut down all of the foliage in a clear path to wherever Bulbasaur ran, even one or two trees, allowing his Trainer and her group to follow.

Bulbasaur glanced back with a frustrated growl. On one hand Pikachu needed help; on the other, if he led these criminals back to the village, he'd be right back where he started with the situation.

Turning around and digging into the ground with his claws, he took a deep breath and blew out a gale wind to push Beedrill away.

"Drill Stinger!" Jessie ordered.

Bulbasaur's eyes widened as Beedrill flew up higher and pointed his stingers forward before spinning straight through the roaring winds.

"Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!"

A brown and pink blur dove into the Seed Pokémon's view. Surrounded by rings of fire-like energy, Pidgeotto crashed into Beedrill beak-first, breaking his momentum and driving him into the ground. Bulbasaur stopped his wind attack in surprise. The Bird Pokémon flew back up and glared at Team Rocket.

"Bulbasaur? Pikachu!" Ash shouted as he and his friends ran in through the trees.

Jessie cursed under her breath and held out her Poké Ball, "Beedrill, return! So, you want to battle for your Pikachu, twer-"

Only the sound of multiple Pokémons' release answered her. Team Rocket suddenly found themselves staring at seven Pokémon, all focused on them. Ash especially looked angry, and would likely forgo any "rules" and have Pidgeotto attack them directly if push came to shove.

The agents begrudgingly took a step back.

"Know this," Jessie warned. "We _will_ steal your Pikachu one day."

"We won't let you get away!" Ash retorted as he stepped forward.

James stepped forward with a Poké Ball, "You won't have a choice. Go, Koffing!"

All of the Pokémon and Trainers focused on the thrown ball, getting ready to attack as soon as Koffing materialized.

James smirked with a metal ring fixed to his middle finger. Pulling his hand back, a cord barely showed in the sunlight. Inside the sphere, a spark ignited and Team Rocket shut their eyes as the disguised flash grenade went off.

While everybody got blinded, Meowth opened his eyes and shot a bunch of Swift stars at Zubat to knock him down and prevent the Pokémon's echolocation from tracking them. **(1)**

With that done, Team Rocket ran away and headed back towards their balloon nearby. The fact that they'd been so close, but failed anyway stung more than anything else. But they decided not to dwell on it. What mattered most now was to get away to try another day.

By the time Ash's eyes cleared he looked up and saw the Rocket trio in their balloon, he pointed up, "Pidgeotto, pop that balloon!"

"Not this time! Fearow, Whirlwind!" Jessie yelled as she released her own Flying-type. Fearow let out a keening cry as Pidgeotto ascended to attack. Ash got a smile as an idea came to him when Fearow started beating her wings.

"Brock, have Onix anchor us," he whispered before shouting, "Pidgeotto, perch on Onix and use Gust!"

"Onix, form a wind shield with your body!" Brock ordered in turn.

Pidgeotto took his place on Onix's head spike and the Rock Snake Pokémon wrapped his body around the group and their Pokémon. Pidgeotto stirred up his own winds as Fearow tried to overpower them. Soon, a tornado started forming and became self-sustaining from the stronger winds of the two birds.

"Oh…" Jessie muttered.

James' jaw dropped, "No…"

"Looks like we're driftin' wit'out an anchor…" Meowth commented fearfully as the hot air balloon got sucked towards the vortex. The three agents and Fearow screamed as the tornado enveloped their aircraft and barely held onto the basket (and their lunch) as they got spun around inside towards the top.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they shouted while the tornado traveled further away.

* * *

Ash and his friends returned to the village after Team Rocket was dealt with. Seeing Bulbasaur all right relieved Melanie greatly. And a quick herbal remedy had Pikachu back on his feet, even if she recommended that he not battle for a day or two.

Ash smiled at the Grass-type, "This village is well-protected with Bulbasaur here. Thanks for saving Pikachu." Bulbasaur smiled back.

Melanie smiled and said, "Ash, don't you agree that Bulbasaur would be an excellent addition to your team?"

"He sure would," Ash agreed. "But I understand."

"I think Bulbasaur should go with you," Melanie suggested. Ash looked at her in surprise, "What? But what about people like Team Rocket?"

"I doubt they'll be back here just for the Pokémon in this village," Melanie replied. "Bulbasaur stayed here to protect the weaker Pokémon, but this village is too small for him to grow properly. He needs to travel the world, and I know you'll take good care of him. Please do me this favor; take Bulbasaur with you on your journey."

Ash looked surprised and Misty asked, "But what will happen to the village without Bulbasaur?"

"Yeah, who's going to protect you?" Brock added.

Melanie shook her head, "It's true that Bulbasaur has done a great job—maybe too great a job. You see, these Pokémon shouldn't stay here forever. After they recover, the Pokémon are supposed to leave. But it's too safe here, so none of them want to. They don't want to return to the outside world. But I think it's important that all of them return to the wild. That's where Pokémon belong. And hopefully, someday they'll find good Trainers like you. Of course taking care of sick Pokémon will always be my mission, but I know my job isn't finished until they return where they came from. So it's the day a Pokémon leaves that is most rewarding to me."

Brock tentatively spoke up, "Melanie, I…"

"See, it's time for Bulbasaur to leave here," Melanie finished. "Please take him with you. He won't be a burden; I promise. Bulbasaur still has a lot of growing to do. I want him to be in a place where I'm sure he can grow strong and happy. I'm sure that place is with you, Ash."

Ash seemed hesitant, but smiled, "Well, if you really want me to, and Bulbasaur's okay with it…"

He glanced at the Seed Pokémon, who turned and said something to Melanie. The caretaker giggled and Ash asked, "What'd he say?"

"Bulbasaur will join you on one condition," Melanie explained. "He wants to battle you in a Pokémon match. Right, Bulbasaur?"

"Bulba, saur," he answered with a nod.

Ash grinned, "Alright! If you want a match, you'll get it!"

Misty turned to Ash, "Oh, please let _me_ battle Bulbasaur? Please! Pretty please!"

"No way!" Ash replied.

Bulbasaur stood at one end of the yard in front of the cabin while Ash's Butterfree fluttered in the air on the other side. Pikachu was on bed rest, so he watched while Misty held him, today's battles and the bridge incident made Pidgeotto too tired to battle and Rattata was simply a poor match to Bulbasaur, his vines surely able to snatch her.

The Pokémon of the village, along with Pikachu and the three humans watched with anticipation to see who would make the first move.

Ash knew that a simple Sleep Powder or Stun Spore would be redirected by Bulbasaur's pseudo-Whirlwind, so he ordered, "Butterfree, Stunning Cyclone!"

Combining Gust with Stun Spore, Butterfree sent a small tornado with streams of yellow powder swirling around in the vortex. Bulbasaur dodged to the side and blew away the scattered spores that fountained from the wind. While he couldn't get an angle to return the stunning agent to Butterfree without getting hit himself, he still successfully dodged the attack.

Bulbasaur charged forward with a Tackle attack, but Butterfree fluttered higher, dodging the attack while Bulbasaur skid on the ground to turn around. Two vines sprouted from the bulb on his back and he directed them at Butterfree.

"Reverse Supersonic!"

Butterfree's antennae pointed backwards and released the high-frequency waves. Bulbasaur tried to keep his aim straight but the vines went wide of Butterfree's wings and he wound up hitting himself in his effort to retract them.

Ash smiled, "Now, String Shot!"

"Free!" Silk thread flew from between the tiny fangs in his mouth and Bulbasaur got wrapped up along with his vines. Bulbasaur concentrated and some leaves started shooting out towards the ground, cutting the strings in the process.

"Quick, before he gets free, do a Tackle!" Ash urged.

The Bug-type flitted forward and rammed into Bulbasaur's bound form. As the Seed Pokémon tumbled along the ground, more of the strings came loose, allowing Bulbasaur to move again.

Ash held out his hand, "Butterfree, try another String Shot!"

Butterfree did so and Bulbasaur responded by cutting the silk away with Razor Leaf. The sharp projectiles went on to approach Butterfree, but a beat of his wings made them flutter away.

"Sleeping Gale!"

Ash's Pokémon beat his wings while releasing Sleep Powder and Bulbasaur retaliated with his own wind. The two winds met in the middle, the blue powder scattering towards the cabin and water as each one fought for dominance. But, unlike Butterfree, Bulbasaur's attack relied on his breath, so he tired out and Butterfree's combined attack washed over him.

He fought the sedative as much as he could, but he breathed some of it in while trying to catch his breath, so the Grass-type fell asleep shortly afterward.

Ash smiled, "Great job, Butterfree!" He took an empty Poké Ball from his belt, "Now, Poké Ball, go!"

The sphere flew at the sleeping Pokémon and opened up after impact, converting Bulbasaur into red energy and encapsulating him. Everybody watched silently as the Poké Ball rocked back and forth slightly. But soon, the button stopped glowing and Ash smiled again.

"All right! We caught Bulbasaur!"

Butterfree perched on Ash's hat with a "Free!" and Ash laughed while looking up at the butterfly.

Once Ash and his friends were ready to go, Ash let Bulbasaur out to say his goodbyes, promising Melanie that he'd take good care of him. Once on the road, Brock was slightly depressed that Melanie apparently didn't see him the way he saw her.

Bulbasaur looked back at the village while they left, worried about the Pokémon.

"Don't worry, Bulbasaur," Ash reassured. "You'll see your friends again. Once they're better they'll leave and find Trainers and we'll be sure to meet them on our travels."

Bulbasaur smiled softly, "Saur…"

Misty fell into step next to Brock, speaking up abruptly, "So, what did Melanie say when you told her you loved her? Did you kiss her goodbye?"

Brock covered Misty's mouth with a blush, "That's enough stupid questions! Alright, I get it, she's cute, but will you please stop embarrassing me?!"

"Uh… Did I _miss_ something?" the young boy asked his friends.

* * *

Team Rocket landed their balloon, only having been freed from the tornado mere moments ago. Jessie grumbled darkly as she took a brush to her long hair, the single curl split into many that stuck out in wild directions.

"We…! Were…! So…! CLOSE!" Jessie shouted, punctuating each word with an aggressive sweep through her locks that made James wince from how many knots sounded like they strained against her ministrations. "That…! Stupid…! Bulbasaur…!"

James knew better than to tell her to calm down, so instead he said, "We'll just have to adjust our plans. Get Pikachu away from the twerps again, but use something different. Something that doesn't absorb its power, but negates it…" He hit his fist into his palm with inspiration, "Rubber!"

"How is _dat_ supposed ta work?" Meowth asked.

James wagged his finger, "All great inventions start from inspiration. Instead of using something that we have, let's make something especially for catching Pikachu! Something with rubber that'll render it helpless."

" _And_ protect us, don't forget!" Meowth added.

James nodded, "Right, on that note, I think we should use some of that R&D funding to make some fireproof uniforms. You never know when you might need some."

"Da twoip don't got a Fire-type," Meowth retorted. "Why would we need somethin' like dat?"

"You never really know," James countered.

Jessie suddenly stood next to them, "Let's go back to the plan to catch Pikachu. Rubber, you said?"

The other two agents checked her to make sure she wouldn't spit fire at them. Hair, check. Make-up, check. They both nodded and the trio brainstormed into the night.

* * *

 **It's good to be back! Also, oh my gosh! I remember early in the story I could fit one-and-a-half to two episodes in a chapter. Now a** ** _single_** **episode takes up an entire chapter!**

 **Notes:**

 **1\. In my mind, the reason Meowth has a history of taking down superior opponents with just Scratch, Bite and Fury Swipes is because he has the ability Technician. Swift fits into the category of moves powered up by said ability, and that's without factoring STAB.**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	8. Chapter 8: Burning Spirit

**Rocket's Rising now has a TV Tropes page. Check it out if you want.**

* * *

Chapter 8: Burning Spirit

After leaving the hidden village behind, the trio of Trainers came upon a more uneven terrain with paths on sloping hills and many small mountains and plateaus dotting the sparser trees. They continued on their way (hopefully) towards Vermillion City, and Ash didn't see a reason to hold off on his training, especially with a new Pokémon and Pikachu eager to get back into battling after resting. Besides, he had a hunch that Team Rocket would feel especially angry about their loss and come for revenge.

Pikachu and Rattata worked on their speed by battling with Bulbasaur and dodging his Vine Whips and Razor Leaves. Ash hoped to get Pikachu to learn Rattata's Quick Attack before the day ended. Bulbasaur proved himself to be quite a proficient battler already, knowing moves such as Leech Seed and Poison Powder along with his more offensive moves.

Meanwhile Pidgeotto and Butterfree sparred in the air, working on their aerial mobility. They managed to learn Agility and Poison Powder, respectively, along with Ash having Pidgeotto learn a new combined move.

While keeping an eye on their sparring, Ash stood on top of a tree stump and looked around the forest with a pair of binoculars his mom had the foresight to pack for him. Unfortunately, he only saw one kind of Pokémon, and not one he'd readily catch.

Ash groaned as he looked in all directions, "There's nothing but Spearow around here…"

"Well that's the _least_ of our worries, isn't it?" Misty grouched as she rested on the ground.

The Pallet Trainer glanced back at her as he hopped off his perch, "Just because we're a little lost doesn't mean I have to stop catching all the Pokémon I can, does it?" Pikachu spared a moment to throw in an agreeing "Chu!" before trying to execute a Quick Attack like he'd seen Rattata do.

Brock checked his map while Misty sarcastically replied, "Of course not; _enjoy_ yourself." Then she sighed, "I just can't go one step further! We've been looking for Vermillion City for ten whole days! **(1)** "

Brock saw something over his map and pointed near her leg, "Uh, there's a bug right on your-"

"AHHH!" Misty screamed and jumped to cling to Ash's shoulders, "Get it away!" The younger Trainer groaned in discomfort from the extra weight.

The Pewter Gym Leader held up a horsetail plant, "Ah, it was just a piece of grass." He laughed at the absurdity of the situation and barely registered Misty's attack before he got kicked in the face.

After Brock was laid out unconscious, Ash caught the map while Misty shouted, "I'm going crazy! Where _are_ we?!"

Ash held out two Poké Balls while he looked at the map, "Everybody, that's enough for now. Pidgeotto, Butterfree, return!" The two beams shot out to recall the flying Pokémon and the Trainer muttered, "According to this, we're right in the middle of nowhere…" Then he smiled as he switched out the spheres for another two, "But it looks like Route 24 leads right to Vermillion City! Bulbasaur, Rattata, return!"

"Does _this_ trail take us to Route 24?" Misty asked hopefully.

Ash hooked the Poké Balls back to his belt and said, "According to my calculations, it does."

The Water Pokémon Trainer became filled with energy and hope again as she stood up and jauntily moved to go forward, "All right! Then let's get this show on the road!" But she didn't make it far before a looming shadow eclipsing the trail made her stop out of surprise.

"Huh? Hey Ash, take a look at this!" she called.

Ash got into a ready stance next to her with Pikachu on his shoulder while Brock barely got up with a footprint of dirt on his face, "It looks like some kind of giant Pokémon! Pikachu?"

"Chu!" Pikachu's cheeks sparked.

But when they focused less on the shadow and more on the actual body, they only saw a large rock with a small Pokémon resting atop it. The Pokémon had orange scales with yellow on their belly and the underside of their tail, the tip of which possessed a burning flame. The Fire-type rested on their side, arms tucked neatly under their chest as they regarded the new arrivals with blue eyes.

"A Charmander," Brock identified. The Pokémon gave a cute, high-pitched cry in an effort to intimidate them, and the trio face-faulted along with Pikachu for being scared by his shadow before seeing him.

The Pallet Trainer recovered first and held up Dexter to identify the Fire-type.

 ** _"_** ** _Charmander, the Lizard Pokémon. A flame burns on the tip of its tail from birth. It is said that a Charmander dies if the flame ever goes out."_**

Ash smiled, "When I went to get my first Pokémon from Professor Oak, I was disappointed 'cause I couldn't get a Charmander. Now I can catch my own."

"I dunno…" Misty commented. She looked at the Pokémon that already breathed heavily, even resting on the rock, "It looks like it's in bad shape."

"Yeah, catch it and we'll take it to a Pokémon Center for help," Brock urged.

Picking the last empty Poké Ball from his belt, Ash reeled his arm back and said, "Poké Ball, go!"

Charmander's brow furrowed and he moved just enough to swing his tail around and bat the projectile away. The rejected sphere flew towards Ash and he managed to catch it before it hit his chest.

"Looks pretty healthy to me," Ash said. "You think I should have Pikachu battle first to weaken 'em?"

"Why don't you let me catch it?" Misty offered. "My Water Pokémon'd be stronger against Charmander."

Brock looked at the panting Fire-type and pointed at the small flame on his tail, "Hold on a minute. Take a look at the flame on its tail. There's no way it could still have the strength to battle. Ash, try the Poké Ball one more time."

"Alright, I will," Ash replied before throwing the sphere again. This time it hit and Charmander glowed red with the ball's energy. But then the encasing glow broke apart and the ball flung back even harder than Charmander's previous retaliation. **(2)** Ash couldn't act fast enough and the ball hit him in the head. The Lizard Pokémon just continued glaring at Ash.

The Pewter Leader crossed his arms, "It sure has a lot of spunk."

"Little too much, if you ask me," Ash grumbled while rubbing his head.

"I think this Charmander has an attitude problem," Misty added.

Pikachu regarded the Fire-type curiously before jumping off his Trainer's shoulder and climbing up the rock. While not happy about it, Charmander couldn't move much to protest. So when the Electric Mouse Pokémon started asking questions, he begrudgingly answered so they would go away.

After the short conversation, Pikachu went back to the Trainer trio. Ash asked, "What's the story, Pikachu?"

Pikachu spoke and mimed adjusting a tie, "Pi, Pikachu…"

"A necktie?" Misty asked. Ash lifted a finger, "A man, maybe." Pikachu lifted a fist with a cheer for the right answer before continuing by pretending to put something onto a nonexistent surface.

"I don't get it," Misty commented.

Brock nudged his friend, "Hey Ash, why don't you try to figure out what Pikachu's saying?" The Pallet Trainer nodded before squatting down to listen and watch Pikachu's motions for clues. After a brief time and some gesturing from his Pokémon, Ash nodded a few times and stood while saying, "Okay, I think I've got it! Pikachu says that Charmander's waiting on that rock for somebody to come and get him."

"You mean he belongs to somebody?" Misty asked.

Ash shrugged, "Well, I'm not _exactly_ sure…"

Brock shrugged as well, "If he's waiting for someone, I think we'd better leave him. It's probably best if his own Trainer takes care of him."

"I hope his Trainer comes back soon," Ash commented as they moved around the rock and continued on the trail.

Once they had already left, Charmander looked up worriedly as dark clouds started gathering in the sky.

* * *

After leaving, Ash took out Dexter and started sorting through the pages involving Poké Balls. Along the way, he learned that Trainers with a Pokédex can only carry up to six Pokémon at a time while the others are sent to whoever gave him the Pokédex and the functions to switch them out for other Pokémon at said location. While not what he was looking for, he found the information useful and filed it away for later.

"How long are you going to fiddle with your Pokédex?" Misty asked.

Ash answered as he clicked the button to move onto the next bit of information, "I'm trying to find out what happened with that Charmander." A ping sounded and Dexter's mechanical voice spoke up.

 ** _"_** ** _As a measure to prevent theft, Pokémon that have been caught by Trainers are marked by their Poké Balls and cannot be caught by another one."_**

"Hm," the young Trainer nodded. "That explains why the Poké Ball didn't work. And why Team Rocket is so obsessed with stealing them along with the Pokémon."

While he pondered this, Misty saw something from her leading position and pointed excitedly, "Hey, you guys! Look over there!" A red-roofed cabin with a P on the shingles stood by the trail. "It's the Pokémon Center!"

Ash smiled as he pocketed the device, "The one on the map! Route 24 can't be too far!"

However, right at that moment, the looming clouds overhead began to pour rain on them. The trio rushed towards the building to get shelter from the downpour, Ash yelling, "Hurry!"

* * *

Ahead of the Pokémon Center, Team Rocket stayed in their balloon basket, finalizing the construction of their anti-Pikachu inventions. Luckily, the large Meowth balloon overhead shielded them from the rain. Unluckily, that meant the ground would be too muddy to sleep on, even with a blanket. The three would be bunking pretty much where they currently sat in their transport.

Jessie grumbled, "I hate the rain." Once she finished locking the handle in place, she grabbed a curry loaf on a napkin beside her to take a bite and passed the bazooka along, "Meowth."

Meowth grabbed the weapon and set it to face up before loading a special shell he made with a round, red tip into the opening. He packed it in tight before double checking the adjustment of the sight on its side and then turning to James while popping the rest of his own curry bread into his mouth. "Almost done wit' those suits?"

"You can't rush an artist," James tutted with his mouth full as he sewed blue rubber onto the outside of a cloth undersuit. A smaller one and one similar to the one he had were folded beside him with three different sized masks made of the same substance with an orange glass visor and appropriately sized black rubber gloves and boots.

Since the blue-haired agent worked tirelessly since they had resumed trailing Ash and co., he held his curry bread in his mouth while his hands tailored. By now, only a third of the loaf remained as James carefully took small bites after every few stitches.

"And… all… done!" James pronounced as he held up the final finished product. Folding it and putting it aside, under the last helmet, he plucked his dinner from between his teeth and spoke properly. "Our protection against Pikachu is guaranteed now."

"You mean like how it was 'guaranteed' with that Poké-Plucker you two eggheads conceived?" Jessie jibed. "At least the Boss liked that one for the operation in Vermillion. That met our quota for this year's inventions."

The two other agents glared at her slightly and James retorted, "We miscalculated just how much power Pikachu had."

"Don't matter, anyway," Meowth said as he rubbed the bazooka with a grin. "Wit' dis, Pikachu can zap till da Tauros come home, and it won't do any good."

The three smirked at each other as they chuckled, hopeful of tomorrow's success.

* * *

Once in the Pokémon Center, the Trainers managed to warm themselves up right away with the large fire in a massive hearth at the center of the lobby. Misty also went to a small counter where they sold food to get soup for all three of them.

The redhead came back with a tray bearing three bowls and passed one to Ash, "Here's some nice hot soup."

"Thanks, Misty," Ash said with a smile as he shook his hat a few more times to get all of the water out. His regular clothes were mostly fine, protected by his jacket.

Misty slid one over to Brock, "Have some soup, Brock." But the Pewter Gym Leader hardly paid it any mind, seeming deep in thought as he sat near the window. "What's wrong?"

"I wonder," Brock replied. "Do you think anybody picked up that Charmander yet? What if his Trainer left him there?"

Ash shrugged, "I don't think that Charmander would wait around _this_ long. Do you?"

Brock pondered it for a bit and then smiled, "I don't either, Ash. His Trainer _must_ have gotten him by now."

Their conversation got interrupted from a group laughing nearby. The trio looked and saw them sitting in the sofa within a sunken portion of the floor surrounding the hearth. All but one of them marveled at the pile of Poké Balls on the coffee table in front of them. The last one, a blue-haired Trainer with sunglasses, sat with his arms crossed and eyes closed, the picture of smug superiority.

The arrogant Trainer said, "Just look at 'em! It's a pretty cool collection."

"Heheh! Way cool!" one of his friends, with light brown hair parted to the side, commented. One with bangs and a headband smiled, "You're the man, Damian!"

Another with aqua spiked hair spoke up, "Yo, I thought you had a Charmander too!"

Damian's brow furrowed as he opened one eye, "Yeah, I had one." Then he closed it again as he shook his head, "But that puny thing was so weak, it couldn't even beat the weakest opponents!"

Misty took her own seat with a frown, "I don't like his attitude."

"Charmander may be weak against Water Pokémon, but if their Trainers work hard, they can be strong!" Brock added.

Damian's aqua-haired friend spoke up again, "So what'd you do with it?"

"Eh, I left it on some rock in the woods," Damian answered with a shrug. "That thing is so _stupid_! No matter _what_ I do to it, it keeps on following me. I finally got rid of it by promising to come back for it. It fell for it! It's probably still there waiting for me! Ha-ha-ha!"

Ash and Misty glared at Damian, the Pallet Trainer saying, " _He's_ the one who abandoned that Charmander!"

"Yeah, and he's _still_ waiting for him on that rock," Misty added with a frown.

Brock abruptly stood up from his chair, catching the attention of his two companions.

Ash's eyes widened, "Brock, what are you doing?" The older Trainer ignored his question and made his way silently towards Damian's group.

"I bet it's still up there, wagging its tail," the headbanded boy commented.

The aqua-head smirked, "It'll probably wag it so long, it'll put the flame out!"

"Yeah, for sure!" Damian laughed. His mirth got cut short when Brock walked right up to him and picked him up by the collar with both hands, "Hey! What're you-"

"Go and get him!" Brock ordered.

Damian raised an eyebrow, "Huh?"

"That Charmander is still waiting for you," he outlined. "Go and get him, _now_!"

The blue-haired Trainer's brow furrowed, "Why _should_ I?"

"You lied to your Pokémon and said you'd be back," Brock accused with a fierce expression. "Now he's waiting out there in the rain for you. And if his tail flame goes out, he will _die_!"

Damian grabbed Brock's wrists and shoved him away, "Oy! What I do is none o' your business!"

Ash and Misty moved up beside Brock, the Pallet Trainer saying, "Do what he says!"

"What'd you say, nerd?" Damian asked as he stood up aggressively.

Ash glared back, "You heard me. And you want to be a Pokémon Trainer."

"You're disgusting!" Misty added. Pikachu voiced his own agreement from the ground.

Glaring at the trio, the other Trainer picked up one of his Poké Balls from the table and held it up while his friends gathered behind him, "You wanna _fight_ with me?"

"You'd better not mess with Damian," the light brown haired friend warned.

Ash moved the bottom of his jacket aside, revealing his own Poké Balls, "Let's go!"

But before the battle could break out, a clap sounded while Nurse Joy said, "Let's break it up! You know the rules! Pokémon are _never_ to be used in personal fights! It's disrespectful to the Pokémon and their Trainers!"

"Yeah?" Damian asked as he turned away. One of his friends gathered up his Pokémon for him as he said, "Well, tell them; they were the ones what started it."

Nurse Joy dropped into the lower level as Damian left with his gang. Once they were gone, she said, "I think you'd be better off not to get mixed up with them. They have a very bad reputation."

When she turned to face them, Brock shied away slightly with a blush, "Uh, thanks for the advice."

Nurse Joy giggled and left back to her station. The Pewter Gym Leader was still blushing and stared as she left, "She sure is pretty… I've never seen _anyone_ as pretty as her."

"What're you talking about?" Misty asked. "She looks just like all the other Joys!"

"Yeah, it's a Joy-full world," Ash remarked bemusedly. But then he grabbed his love-struck friend's shoulder, "Alright, snap out of it!"

At Brock's questioning glance, Misty shouted, "Aw, quit spacing out! What about Charmander?"

"Ah! That's right!" he replied. "We've got to help him!"

The three grabbed some raincoats from a renting rack and ran out into the storm after putting them on. As they rushed through the storm back the way they came, Misty commented, "This is dangerous! Going out in a storm like this; what if we all catch pneumonia?"

"Well no one _asked_ you to follow along," Ash retorted over his shoulder.

Misty smiled, "Gotta help a Pokémon in need!"

* * *

Back at the rock where Charmander waited, he held a large leaf over his curled up body in an effort to keep as much rain off as possible. His tail flame, while small earlier, now barely stood at the size of a flickering candle.

Even worse, three Spearow had found him and saw how weak he was. Only a moment passed before they cried out and moved to attack him. The Fire-type cried out as they scratched at him with their talons.

Charmander tried to curl up away from the Spearows' attacks, but he couldn't fight back without letting go of his leaf. And even if he could without letting go, he wouldn't be able to put much strength behind it. If his tail got any wetter, it would likely go out.

"Pidgeotto, Clothesline Dash!"

The Tiny Bird Pokémon only had a moment to turn before the larger Flying-type soared in, catching all three of them in the neck with his wings, combining Quick Attack with Wing Attack. The Pokémon landed on the ground and gagged for a bit before fleeing in a stumbling run and taking flight again.

Ash frowned at the retreating birds before he returned Pidgeotto and moved to Charmander's side. Brock and him took off their raincoats and the breeder draped his over the Lizard Pokémon's shivering body. Ash noticed the flame and said, "Oh no! The flame on his tail is almost out!"

"Let's get him to the Pokémon Center!" Brock urged.

Ash took off his own coat and draped it over the Pokémon's tail, "I'll make _sure_ his tail flame stays lit!"

Brock and Ash carried Charmander as the trio rushed back to the Pokémon Center. The entire way, Ash adjusted his rain coat over the tail flame whenever the wind changed direction and blew rain.

"Hold on!" Brock urged. "You can make it, Charmander!"

They doubled their speed when they saw the building again and burst through the door. Nurse Joy stood close by, having been waiting for them.

"Joy," Ash panted, "please help us!"

She ran over, "What is it? What's wrong?"

Brock held up the bundled Pokémon, "This Charmander is in bad shape!"

"The flame on his tail!" Ash added as he lifted up the jacket to reveal the tiny fire.

The nurse gasped, "There's not much time!"

* * *

Over the next few minutes, Nurse Joy managed to get Charmander onto a hospital bed, his tail propped up on a small stool to prevent the sheets from catching on fire. She examined him with a stethoscope as the trio of Trainers nervously watched.

"Will he survive?" Brock asked nervously.

Joy shook her head, "Charmander is very weak…" She turned to them with a scolding expression, "How could you let him get into this condition?"

"It's not _our_ fault," Ash defended. "Damian's the one who abandoned him."

" _What_?" the nurse asked incredulously.

The young Trainer frowned sadly, "Well, Damian promised Charmander that he'd come back for him. Charmander's loyal to Damian, so he believed him."

Joy looked at the Pokémon sympathetically, "Poor Charmander. And Damian just left with the rest of them."

"Joy," Brock pleaded, walking up to her, "I'm begging you! Please save him. Charmander has got to get better."

The nurse nodded, "I'll do whatever I can."

She saw them out and the emergency room's light came on, letting them know that the treatment had begun. Hours passed as they waited. Ash and Misty alternated between pacing, sitting and standing, and Brock just stood in front of the double doors the entire time.

'Charmander, you've got to hold on,' Brock thought. 'Please, keep your flame burning…'

With a ping, the light above the doors turned off and all three of them turned to see Nurse Joy come out. They looked at her and she read their silent question. She smiled and held up two fingers in a peace sign.

The three Trainers smiled with relief.

"Charmander's recovering. He should be fine by morning," Joy explained.

Brock smiled as he saw the Lizard Pokémon's flame burning brighter on the fireproof cushion, 'That's the spirit, Charmander.'

* * *

Tired out from the night's events, Ash and co. along with Joy went to sleep for the night, the Trainers occupying the couches with some pillows and blankets provided by the nurse. Ash snored slightly with the blanket half off his body, and he turned away from the morning light, dropping it onto Pikachu.

As the sun came up over the horizon, Brock woke up and went to go ask Nurse Joy how Charmander was.

When he found her already awake and heard what she had to say, he rushed back to the lobby, shouting, "Wake up, everybody!"

Ash jolted in surprise and fell off the couch while Misty propped herself up and rubbed her eyes. They looked over the back of the couch, the Pallet Trainer asking, "What's up, Brock?"

"Yeah, what's the matter?" Misty added.

"Pikachu…?"

Brock panted, "It's Charmander! Charmander has disappeared from the ER!"

"But how?" Ash wondered.

The duo followed him back and found Nurse Joy with her arms crossed worriedly and the curtains billowing from the wind coming through the open window.

Ash's expression shifted to worry as well, "I bet he went back to that rock to wait for Damian."

"We've gotta go back!" Brock urged.

Misty shook her head, "But that's no use! We can't force Charmander to come with us if he wants to wait for Damian, even if he _is_ a lying creep."

"She's right," Joy agreed. "There's nothing you can do until Charmander realizes the truth."

* * *

The Fire-type's tail swayed back and forth, burning brightly as he walked up the sloping path back to where his Trainer said he'd come back.

As he reached the crest of the hill, he looked back at the Pokémon Center. From there, he could see the Trainer trio leaving and going the other way.

* * *

Once they left back on their journey to Vermillion City, Brock wore a somewhat sad expression.

"I thought Charmander understood that _we_ cared about him…" Brock sighed.

Ash stopped and turned around along with Misty, "Brock, Charmander _knew_ that we cared. But don't you see? He _couldn't_ forget about Damian. He's still loyal to him. That's why he went back."

"Chu," Pikachu agreed. He knew that nobody could convince him to leave his own Trainer. Brock smiled at how Pikachu cared for Ash, but snapped out of it when Misty gave him a none-too-gentle slap on the back.

"Come on!" she urged. "Route 24 is just ahead. Once we get to Vermillion City, there'll be plenty of Pokémon."

She led the way and Brock followed with a sigh.

* * *

Up ahead, Team Rocket had hidden their balloon further away from their point of ambush than last time, hoping for distance to cover their escape. Their upgrade to the balloon stood on the brink of completion, but had yet to be tested, so Meowth cited it as too big a risk of blowing up in their face. Literally.

To compensate for their lack of speed, their plan revolved around their old mainstay.

Dirt flew out of a pit in the ground three shovelfuls at a time with a rope tied to a tree near the path and fed into it. They decided to take advantage of the hilly terrain and dig it much deeper to hopefully stall their opponents long enough to get away—hence the rope for them to climb back out.

Down in the hole, Jessie dug into the earth with a smirk, "To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!" James added as he threw out the dug up earth in sync with his teammate.

Both of them spoke in unison, "To denounce the evils of truth and love! To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"  
"James!"

"Meowth!" the feline Pokémon cut in. "I get dat ya need ta get it outta yer system, but stay focused! We don't got much time before da twoips show up."

"Right!" both agents replied. Jessie looked up at the high climb to the top of the pit, "This looks deep enough; let's cover it up, now!"

The trio hastily climbed up the rope and Meowth pulled it out when all three were out while the other two agents laid a frame of sticks over the hole. James put branches over the hole and Jessie covered them with dirt to disguise it. Once the Pokémon agent had the rope coiled up, he cut the portion wound around the tree to remove it and threw the bundle into the underbrush nearby. He turned around in time to see his teammates patting the dirt over the hole down with shovels to more effectively conceal it.

With their trap set, the Rocket trio fled into the bushes with their shovels to wait for Ash and co.'s arrival.

Before too long, their patience got rewarded as the Trainers in question started coming up the hill and moving across the path. The three of them grinned as they saw Pikachu walking up ahead, crossing over the trap. They had made it more durable than usual to keep Pikachu from falling in. Now, if only…

When Ash and Brock, who were right behind Pikachu stepped onto the ground, it shifted underneath them, "Whoa, you feel something?"

"I did," Brock said as he stopped along with Ash.

Misty moved up next to him as she asked, "Huh? Feel what?"

Her weight wound up being too much for the supportive cover and it caved in, dropping the trio into the pitfall trap. Team Rocket internally cheered and started putting on their own protection to ensure the second phase of their plan.

When Pikachu heard Ash and his friends scream, he stopped walking and turned around. He looked down the hole and found the three of them barely conscious and groaning in pain at the bottom. He sighed worriedly before his expression changed to a curious one. What was a hole doing in the middle of the road?

'Wait…' Pikachu wondered. 'Haven't I seen this…?'

The sound of rustling leaves made him turn to the side of the road where Team Rocket stood clad in blue shining suits.

Meowth laughed, "I can't believe they fell for it!"

"Our plan worked! We're geniuses!" Jessie celebrated as she stared down Pikachu through the orange glass visor.

Pikachu gasped to himself when he realized that he stood all alone with his kidnappers, with his Trainer in no shape to protect him. He took a few steps back, but Team Rocket just kept their eyes on him.

"Come with us, Pikachu," James commanded. "You belong to _us_ now."

With no other option, Pikachu shot a Thunderbolt at the trio. They just laughed as the electricity danced over their suits with no effect.

"Rubber won't conduct electricity," James lectured.

Jessie smirked as Pikachu tired out, "Just another example of our genius at work. We call these our Anti-Pikachu Suits; we made them ourselves."

"But we'll have plenty of time to tell you about it on the way back to HQ," James said with a dangerous grin as he reached back into the bushes.

The Electric-type panicked at being unable to defend himself and started running. The male agent pulled a bazooka out and took a knee as he aimed it after the fleeing Pokémon by propping it over his right shoulder, "Time to use our Anti-Pikachu Rubber Balloon Bazooka!"

He held it steady as Jessie pulled the string trigger in the back and a bang rang out before a red balloon formed at the end, inflating and popping off as a bubble. With their rubber suits not conducting their clothes', hair's and fur's static, the rubber projectile didn't go after them and instead homed in on the strongest source of static—i.e. Pikachu.

It chased after the fleeing Pokémon, picking up speed as it got closer to his electric signature. Pikachu looked back and tried to turn, but it adjusted its course, turning even as Pikachu did and moving even faster from the reduced distance.

Once it caught up to the Electric-type, it enveloped him and pulled him into itself. Pikachu pushed against it and tried zapping it to no effect.

Team Rocket caught up and taunted him with their masks off, "Got you, Pikachu~"

Pikachu panicked and gave a muffled cry through the rubber prison, "Pikachuuuuu!"

The criminals heard Ash stir from the cry and heard him trying to climb out of their trap. Peeling off their rubber suits, they grabbed Pikachu, balloon and all and moved to the hole as Ash called, "C'mon you guys! Get up! We've gotta do something!"

"We'd love to get up, Ash," Misty deadpanned. "Unfortunately, you're _standing_ on us…"

They looked into the pit from far above right as the other two Trainers got up.

"Aah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Hello down there!" Jessie taunted with her hands on her hips. "Thank you _so_ much for _dropping_ in!"

James held up the balloon containing Pikachu as he held a Poké Ball in his other hand, "Don't worry, Pikachu is safe with us. We won't lose it like _you_ did."

Pikachu looked sad and called out "Chu!"

When Ash took out a Poké Ball, James just opened his own, "Koffing, Smog."

The Poison Gas Pokémon appeared and breathed a stream of toxic fumes that poured into the hole. Before they could call any Pokémon out, the trio inside was reduced to coughing.

"Let's get outta here," Meowth said, walking away from the gas-filled hole.

"Charmander!"

Team Rocket's eyes widened slightly in surprise as they saw the Lizard Pokémon appear in their path.

Jessie raised an eyebrow, "What is _that_ thing?"

Charmander spoke while pointing at them, and Meowth translated, "It's sayin' ya better give Pikachu back ta those guys, right now."

"It's _got_ to be kidding," Jessie scoffed.

James waved his free hand at the Fire-type, "Now step aside, you insolent little firebug. We haven't got time to play with _you_."

"Team Rocket plays rough!" Meowth threatened. "So get movin'!"

Charmander's face scrunched up in concentration, as if dragging something from deep inside himself to the surface. James raised an eyebrow and then waved for Koffing to move forward and attack.

He shot a Sludge attack and Charmander shot his first Flamethrower in response. Team Rocket and Koffing dodged out of the way while the sludge detonated. They split up and took cover in the explosion.

The trio frowned at the Pokémon, having been used to operating under smoke. This interloper wanted to play? They would play.

* * *

Down in the pit, Ash, Misty and Brock could barely breathe with the poisonous gas filling the hole, and the Pallet Trainer just managed to get the right Poké Ball.

"Pidge-" Ash coughed. "Pidgeo – cough! – Gah! Gust atta – hack!"

* * *

Charmander looked around as the smoke cleared, partially due to the raging winds from the pit that dispersed the smog into the air. Pidgeotto soared out of the hole afterwards, but a bunch of stars flew into the air from behind Charmander and homed in on the Flying-type.

He turned around right as they hit Pidgeotto and the Bird Pokémon got engaged by Koffing up above. A small team of Pokémon stared him down—a Fearow, a Beedrill, a Mankey, an Ekans and Meowth himself.

"Alright," Meowth casually remarked with a grin as his claws popped out. "We got an appointment ta keep, so let's not waste time."

Charmander charged forward, readying his claws and calling up his newly discovered inner fire. Meowth managed to sidestep each Scratch attack.

"Missed me. Try again. Too bad," he taunted before kicking Charmander in the stomach, knocking him back a few paces. Beedrill took over from there, attacking with Fearow in a double team Fury Attack.

Charmander took a few hits but dodged back for most of them and scattered the two Pokémon by using Flamethrower again. After that, the ground burst behind him.

"Ekaaansss!"

The Fire-type found himself wrapped up in the Snake Pokémon's body, the tail keeping his mouth closed and muzzling him. With him bound, Mankey rushed forward and started hitting him repeatedly. Unseen by the fighter, Charmander's tail started blazing larger bit by bit with each attack.

Up in the sky, Pidgeotto fought on relatively even terms with Koffing, but most of his speed moves got dodged by virtue of the Poison-type's light weight. The force that preceded him literally helped push Koffing out of the way, while he shot out a bit of gas to aid the evasion. And his Gust attack was an inconvenience at worst to him. Meanwhile, the Poison Gas Pokémon had no such limit as he sprayed Smog at James' command to speed up his charge and ram the Flying-type.

While the beating took place, Meowth noticed that two vines extended from the pit and probed around until they wrapped around a tree. He narrowed his eyes and started moving to attack them.

Once Charmander's flame grew big enough, he concentrated and swung it at the back of Ekans' head, unleashing an Ember attack on her. Ekans cried out in slight pain and loosened up enough for Charmander to open his mouth and shoot flames that made the two Pokémon back off. Once free, he immediately charged after Meowth and tackled him to the ground before he could attack Bulbasaur's Vine Whips.

Meowth glared up at the Lizard Pokémon from his pinned state and grabbed some dirt in his paw.

"Meowth used Sand Attack!" he shouted as he threw the dirt at his opponent's eyes. Charmander cried out and tried to clear it away, giving Meowth the time to squirm free. He moved to attack the vines again, but the Fire-type grabbed him and threw him back towards the other Pokémon. Mankey caught him, but Meowth dropped back to the ground with a growl. The lizard glared back at them, standing resolutely between them and the vines.

"Dat's it! We're _through_ messin' around!" Meowth shouted in rage. "Everybody, dogpile!"

Ash barely managed to get a hand on the edge of the pit and pulled himself the rest of the way out with Bulbasaur in his other arm. He looked at Jessie and James still standing there, commanding their Pokémon. Good; they had to stay behind or risk getting followed and losing their balloon again.

He looked up and noticed Pidgeotto getting tired out by Koffing, so he held up his Poké Ball and said, "Pidgeotto, return!"

Unfortunately, Charmander didn't look like he could take much more. All of Team Rocket's Pokémon attacked him in a swarm. And with Pidgeotto gone, Koffing came back to help. Whenever he managed to block or drive away an attack with his fire and claws, two more hit him. The only consolation was that James apparently saw Koffing battling the Fire-type as too dangerous and called him back.

Ash got ready to send his Pokémon to help, "Bulbasaur, use-"

But Charmander protested and kept on fighting against the agents' Pokémon. Ash noticed that the his tail flame steadily grew larger and held up his Pokédex, shifting it to move identification.

 ** _"_** ** _Move identified: Rage. The user gains more power the more it is attacked. It will continue to fight until the opponent falls."_**

Jessie and James noticed that the Trainer had gotten out and Jessie shouted, "Meowth, wrap this up already! You all should've beaten it right at the beginning!"

"We're tryin'! But da stupid lizard won't _stay down_!" Meowth protested as he landed another Scratch attack. He fell back to dodge Charmander's counterattack and Mankey started pummeling the Flame Pokémon again while Fearow pecked at him and Ekans shot Poison Sting along with Beedrill's Pin Missile.

Charmander felt his power peak under the assault and fire burned in his eyes as he opened his mouth and shot a wide, powerful surge of fire that put his previous one to shame. Team Rocket's eyes widened as the attack approached much faster than the last one. The Pokémon got hit directly and Jessie and James could only cover their faces before it reached them.

He kept up the attack for a solid five seconds before the flames guttered out and he held his hands on his knees in an effort to catch his breath while the flame on his tail dropped back down to a regular size. Ekans, Mankey, Fearow and Meowth all stood frozen in shock while Beedrill was on the ground and struggling to get up by planting his stingers in the ground. All of them tried moving and fell over from exhaustion. Only Jessie and James remained relatively unharmed, aside from a few burns on the parts of their face they couldn't cover. Jessie hurriedly used her gloves to pat out the small flames that had started on her long hair.

James smirked and said, "See? Didn't I tell you we needed fireproof uniforms? And Charmander's… tired… out…?"

James trailed off while his eyes widened as he looked at the ground in front of them. A very angry Pikachu stood there with his cheeks sparking. A quick look at his glove confirmed that his hand only held onto a fistful of goo now. The Electric-type had some burns and traces of melted rubber on his body, but the bubble couldn't hold up against the intense heat.

"CHUUUUU!"

Jessie and James screamed as a full power Thunderbolt hit them. They whimpered in pain for a moment before falling over as well. Pikachu ran back to Ash's side while the Trainer supported Bulbasaur to help him pull Misty and Brock out of the hole.

"It's times like this that make me want to go _straight_ ," James lamented.

Jessie seethed, "It's time Team Rocket blasted…"

"Off…" James added.

"Once again…" Meowth finished.

James opened Koffing's Poké Ball again, "Koffing… Smokescreen…"

Ash saw the cloud of obscuring smoke appear and barely registered the muttered calls for their Pokémon to return, but he focused on helping Misty and Brock out of the pit, grabbing their hands as they reached the top.

* * *

He had come back this way at the sounds of a really fierce battle, wondering if he could get a good fight out of some tired out sap, but imagine his surprise as he watched the development unfold.

Damian watched from a tree beside the road and blinked in disbelief when the smoke cleared to reveal nobody there. They had fled.

"Charmander _beat_ them?"

* * *

Brock looked at the Fire-type with an awed expression while Ash sprayed him and Pikachu with a Potion, "Wow, thanks for the help, Charmander."

"You see, Brock?" Misty asked. "Charmander knew we cared; that's why he's here."

"Way to go," Brock praised.

Ash nodded, satisfied with the two Pokémons' state, and then stood up while putting the medicine away in his bag. He smiled, "Charmander, how'd you like to join up with us? I'm afraid your… 'Trainer' isn't going to be coming back."

"Hey, Charmander," a familiar voice spoke up.

The trio and Pokémon turned to see Damian walking up to them with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face.

The blue-head continued, "Been lookin' all over for ya."

"Damian, it's you!" Ash said with a glare.

Brock glared as well, "What do _you_ want?"

"I came back for Charmander," Damian answered easily as everybody gasped. "Just like I promised. So let's go."

Charmander appeared conflicted as he looked between his Trainer and the three who had shown him much kindness.

"Careful, this Trainer's already abandoned you once before," Brock warned.

Damian crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, "Charmander is mine. I'm the one who caught it, remember?"

"Damian, you _bragged_ about how you abandoned him," Ash accused.

He nodded, not even trying to deny it, "Good thing I did, too. That toughened it up. Besides, what's wrong with dumpin' off a weak Pokémon?"

Charmander looked shocked as he heard his Trainer's true feelings about him.

"I wasn't gonna come back for it," the blue-haired Trainer continued, "but now that I've seen what it can do, I'm real glad I ran into you guys." Charmander looked down, but Damian didn't stop, "The best thing is, I didn't hafta raise it meself."

"That's terrible!" Misty shouted.

Brock stepped forward, " _Raising_ a Pokémon is the best part of being a Trainer!"

"You wish!" Damian scoffed. "It's the most _boring_ part of the job!"

"How _dare_ you call yourself a Pokémon Trainer?" the breeder seethed.

Misty turned to Charmander, "You see? He doesn't care about _you_. He just wants to use you to win matches!"

When the Fire-type looked down in contemplation, both Ash and Brock urged, "Charmander!"

"Charmander," Damian called, losing his patience and taking out a Poké Ball, "return!"

As the beam shot out **(3)** , Damian's Pokémon appeared to have made his decision and sidestepped the beam before swinging an Ember from his tail. The ball of fire hit Damian's hand and forced him to drop the device right as the return beam hit the ground and fizzled out. Surging forward, Charmander stomped on the Poké Ball, shattering it.

Ash and his friends gasped, along with Pikachu, and Damian just stood there in frozen shock while Charmander glared defiantly at him.

After the moment passed, Damian's expression grew fierce and he reached into a pack on his side, taking out several dozen shrunken Poké Balls before expanding them and holding them over his head.

"That does it!" he shouted. "I'll crush you with every Pokémon I've _got_!"

In response, the Fire-type blew a Flamethrower at him, dialing back the power to burn him, but not hurt him too badly, "Chaaaaar!"

Soon, Pikachu joined Charmander and shot a Thunder Shock at him, "Pikachuuuu!"

The combined attack left the Trainer thoroughly singed, with some holes in his clothes and minor burns on his skin. He groaned before putting his Pokémon away and turning to run away, crying for his mom.

After the trio congratulated Charmander on leaving Damian, he turned to face them.

Brock put a hand on Ash's shoulder, "Go ahead, Ash. You get Charmander. He'll be a great Pokémon."

"But, Brock," Ash protested as he turned to his friend, "you saved him, so you deserve him, I guess."

The Pewter Trainer nodded, "Right, but don't forget. You're the one who kept the flame on his tail lit. I'm sure you'll raise Charmander to become a great Pokémon."

"Thank you, Brock," he replied with a nod. Then the raven-haired boy took out a Poké Ball, "C'mon, Charmander, welcome to the team!"

Charmander smiled and nodded with a "Char!" before jumping into Ash's thrown Poké Ball. The Trainer caught the sphere as it returned to him and the light went out immediately.

Misty smiled, "You got a Pokémon, and a new friend."

"Yeah!" Ash agreed with a beaming expression.

* * *

Team Rocket limped back to their balloon, Meowth already passed out in James' arm while the agent held their Anti-Pikachu Suits in the other. Meanwhile, Jessie dragged the Rubber Balloon Bazooka along. While ultimately failed inventions, they'd invested too much in them to just leave them behind. Maybe they could find another use for them later.

"That twerp's team is getting too strong for _our_ own good," Jessie grumbled.

"Yes," James agreed. "And with his luck, he probably recruited that Charmander with his sappiness. It would explain the gung-ho fighting it did."

"We need more muscle. His Pokémon are even with ours now, including Meowth. Not even factoring the other twerps' own."

"Agreed. We should keep an eye out for any prospective catches to add to our own teams. Focus on tailing the twerps, but trying to avoid direct battle. For now."

Jessie chuckled tiredly, "Never know when we'll find something juicy by leeching his luck."

"We'll find something else to steal to offset our most recent losses," James said with a determined fist held up before cradling the numbed hand.

They got back to their camp and nearly wept with joy at the grinning face of their balloon.

"But for now…"

"Good night…"

The two agents passed out on the ground, not even bothering with lunch or setting up blanket rolls.

* * *

 **Another chapter down! Wow, Team Rocket just can't seem to catch a break. Whenever they nearly catch Pikachu, the new Pokémon of Ash's steps in and stops them. Also there's the report of a failed mission that they'll have to turn in.**

 **We'll see if Ash's luck holds out. The score is 6 – 3 in his favor.**

 **Notes:**

 **1\. The time is a bit wonky in the Pokémon anime. But I decided that ten days is a reasonable amount of time to have been "looking for" Vermillion City, if counting back all the way to when they left from Cerulean City.**

 **2\. Since that's how the capture backfire works in later seasons, I went ahead and changed it to match.**

 **3\. Again, since Damian didn't operate the Poké Ball the traditional way, I tweaked the events slightly.**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	9. Chapter 9: A Broken Team

**I felt antsy to get this chapter out and finish the starter trio episodes, so Rocket's Rising gets a double update before looping around in the cycle.**

* * *

Chapter 9: A Broken Team

The Rocket Trio woke up at sunset and rubbed their sore joints. James started a campfire with some wood and lighter fluid stored in their balloon and Jessie took out her compact to look at the damage the flames did.

"Oh, my beautiful face…" she moaned while taking in the red burn marks. "Perfection has been ruined!"

Meowth rummaged around in the balloon basket before jumping out with a first-aid kit. He ran it over to Jessie and offered some salve while taking a Potion and Burn Heal for himself.

"C'mon," he said, "time ta patch up. Won't want dis affectin' our performance next time."

Jessie and James released their Pokémon and Meowth went around using the medicine to fix them up while Jessie put the salve on her face, midriff and the exposed parts of her legs. Once done, she passed it to James, who had some chicken and vegetable fried rice cooking.

"I'll be fine. It's been a long day, and we need our nourishment," the agent insisted. "Besides, who knows when we'll be able to stop for supplies again?"

Once Ekans and Fearow recovered enough, they left to hunt. Beedrill would've gone with them to forage, but couldn't move too much even with the medicine. Team Rocket found out early on that Beedrill just needs nectar from flowers to sustain himself, so he only ate Pokémon food if none could be found or he couldn't fly.

With the hunters gone, Jessie and Meowth filled up the bowls with Pokémon food for the others and James left his cooking alone for a moment to feed Koffing. As he looked through their dishes and found that they were out of clean bowls, he served their food on plates, making a mental note to keep an eye out for a freshwater source to wash them later.

Ekans and Fearow returned and Jessie recalled them so they could rest further while everybody else ate. James let Koffing stay out for a bit, since the Poison Gas Pokémon hadn't suffered much damage at the wings of Pidgeotto.

The blue-haired agent passed some of his rice to Mankey, who looked confused before James said, "Try it. It's not a rice ball, but fried rice is good in its own way."

The Pig Monkey Pokémon gingerly tried some and grunted happily before setting it aside for last and moving to eat his Pokémon food.

Once they finished dinner, James collected the dishes and he recalled all of his Pokémon along with Jessie. The trio boarded their balloon, intent on finding their targets to begin tailing them.

"They'll probably have a campfire we can home in on," Jessie said as she pulled the chain to lift their balloon up.

James held up a finger, "Remember, Jessie, no direct confrontation for now, if we can help it."

"Dat pitfall thing almost worked," Meowth commented. "Maybe we can reuse da Anti-Pikachu Suits for somethin' else. Seems da Zap Sapper trumps da rubber protection."

"Just as well," Jessie added. "Electric blue is _definitely_ not my color. I much prefer navy or midnight shades."

James laughed, "True, dark blue matches your eyes and compliments your hair, although I think maroon is more your color."

"Maybe. But we can't always get what we want. Silver would look great with your hair, but I don't think we'd get that much creative freedom from the Boss."

"Yeah," Meowth agreed. "Da two of you are already pushin' it wit' da white uniforms. Luckily, bein' da numbah 1 field team has its perks."

Unlike the standard black and white uniforms, Jessie and James had agreed to design their own unique uniforms. At the time, they had a perfect record of completed missions, so the duo felt they'd earned a little individuality. On their next report in to Giovanni, he raised an eyebrow at the white and dark purple ensemble that they wore, but commented that it didn't particularly matter to him as long as they represented Team Rocket and got missions done. Still, they knew they shouldn't press their luck.

Flying high into the sky and relying on the night to keep them hidden, the Rocket trio gave their surroundings a cursory glance before seeing a tiny light in the distance. Jessie took out her binoculars and looked towards it to see Ash and co. asleep around the dying campfire in sleeping bags.

Trying to squash the temptation of suggesting a nighttime raid to steal Pikachu, she signaled James and he saw the light himself before tugging the control lines to pull them in that direction. None of their Pokémon were in any shape to fight, while all but Ash's Charmander would fiercely defend against an attack.

They continued on ahead, sticking to the path and landing in a sequestered glade with only one sure path into it and many trees blocking any other approach. Setting up their blankets on the ground, the trio went to sleep with plans to work tomorrow while waiting for the Trainers' arrival.

* * *

After breaking camp the next morning and eating breakfast that Brock prepared, the Trainer trio made their merry way down the path. Ash especially had a bit of a spring in his step with Pikachu on his shoulder, feeling good about having his sixth Pokémon and having defeated Team Rocket twice in a row.

Not just any Pokémon, though. The Pallet Trainer practically walked on air with his grin at having both Bulbasaur and Charmander on his team. He hummed an upbeat tune as he led the way along the path.

Still, he knew better than to underestimate Team Rocket just because Charmander managed to turn the tables on them. Even when in a good mood, and moving through a field with no really good hiding places, he took precautions.

"Aren't you being a _little_ too careful?" Misty asked.

Ash firmly planted his new walking stick before him wherever he moved, testing the ground for pitfalls. He had Bulbasaur cut a large branch down for him and borrowed Brock's survival knife to cut off the extra parts and even out the bottom. Ash didn't bother smoothing out the wood, since it wasn't a problem with his gloves.

Ash stopped humming for a moment to answer "No" before picking up where he left off.

Brock shrugged, "Hey, a walking stick can have its own benefits for travel, Misty."

As if timed by the sentence, Ash's new tool prodded into the earth in front of him. He stopped as all of his cheer vanished and he stood on guard as he prodded the ground repeatedly, revealing a pitfall trap in the path.

"Hmph," Ash grunted as he moved his jacket aside to have a hand on his Poké Balls while Pikachu's cheeks sparked. "'Too careful', huh?"

"Aw, shut up," Misty pouted.

Suddenly, Ash heard Pokémon shouts of protest and five turtle-like Pokémon moved out from behind a few bushes near the path. They walked on two legs and had blue skin with red and light yellow shells. Each of them wore sunglasses, four of them with dark blue, circular lenses and the leader (?) with black, half-circle lenses angled upwards in similar appearance to angry eyes. They seemed upset that Ash had exposed the hole.

The Pallet Trainer looked between the hole and them and his brow furrowed, " _You_ dug this hole?! Got me worked me up for nothing. Still…" He took out his Pokédex to make sure he had the right Pokémon in mind from their appearance.

 ** _"Squirtle. This Tiny Turtle Pokémon draws its long neck into its shell to launch incredible water attacks with amazing range and accuracy. The blasts can be quite powerful."_**

He smiled and closed Dexter, "With my very own Squirtle, Gary will never beat me!" Ash wedged the walking stick against his back holding it in place with his backpack, as he turned to Pikachu on his shoulder, "Go, Pikachu."

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded and jumped off Ash's shoulder before running forward and shooting a Thunder Shock at the center Squirtle. One of the other Squirtles rushed in and took the attack for him. He shouted out and fell over once the attack subsided, knocked out with one hit.

The leader leaned over his subordinate in concern, "Squirtle Squirtle!" When Pikachu stopped in front of the group with his cheeks sparking, the leader held a hand out for the rest of his gang to pull back and protect the injured Squirtle. Staring down Pikachu, only a slight drop of sweat indicated how nervous he was about fighting at a disadvantage.

But a police siren rang out through the air and the lead Squirtle perked up and called out urgently to the others. They picked up their fallen teammate and the entire gang fled.

* * *

Team Rocket watched the interaction from the distant trees with their binoculars while Officer Jenny drove up in her motorcycle. They were quite a ways away from the main road, so there was no danger of sitting on the open branches to spy on them.

"Very, very interesting…" Jessie mused.

James grinned, "A group of wild Pokémon capable of performing advanced maneuvers under a pseudo-Trainer. Now _that's_ a prize!"

The trio lowered their binoculars as the female agent continued, "Imagine what they could do with an actual commander figure in the Boss."

"We've managed to supply mass quantities of Pokémon, as well as the Moon Stone to power them up further," her partner added, "but we've yet to find something _truly_ unique. Imagine it; the first all-Pokémon squad on Team Rocket!"

Meowth raised an eyebrow, "Ya really tink da Boss would give da okay on somethin' like dat?"

Jessie patted him on the back amicably, "But of course! After all, _you're_ proof enough that Pokémon can operate just as well as humans."

"Besides," James added, "if that plan falls through, we can always have them auctioned off. Squirtles are somewhat rare to find in the wild, after all."

The feline agent nodded and jumped off the branch, "Well, you two can start plannin' on somethin'. I'm gonna keep tinkerin' wit' da RBB."

"The Rubber Balloon Bazooka?" the blue-haired agent asked. "Why bother? We built it specifically to catch Pikachu, and the twerp's Bulbasaur or Charmander could shoot the balloon down."

"Yeah, but we still got a workin' bazooka," Meowth pointed out. "We could rig it ta fire other things, rockets, ice missiles, da works. 'S just a matter of changin' da ammo and modifyin' da bazooka itself."

"Ooh!" Jessie said excitedly as she jumped down from the branch. "What if… What if we make one to fire Poké Balls? For more dangerous Pokémon, it could be used to catch them from a distance."

James hit his fist into his hand, "And we could design some radio collars to communicate with our Pokémon from said distance – appropriately proofed, of course – and build some sort of sniper mount to return them once we've made our capture or if they get hurt too badly."

"See it's dis kinda thinkin' dat keeps us on top of our game," Meowth praised.

The entire morning, after having breakfast and making their report to the Boss via the communicator, the Rocket trio went over what had gone wrong last time and sought to improve what worked right. James had used the material in the rubber suits and made a different tool to use, also fire-proofing it. Meowth had been spending the morning making adjustments on their balloon's upgrade and the bazooka.

"We can start on it tomorrah, but fa now, we got-"

The three agents' stomachs rumbling cut off the brainstorming session. The three of them blushed and Jessie laughed sheepishly while making her way over to the hot air balloon.

"Seems the vote is to have lunch first," Jessie observed as she pulled out a picnic basket.

James smiled, "Good thing I took some time to prepare that ahead of time."

"Yay!" Meowth cheered. "Gonna have a picnic~"

Suddenly, the three of them felt like they were being watched and turned around to see the gang of Squirtles standing in the entrance to the glade.

"You guys got a problem?" Jessie asked in a low tone, pretending that she didn't know who they were. They could use this opportunity.

"Squirtle, Squirtle," the leader said with a smile. "Squirtle Squirtle."

The two agents looked at Meowth and he raised an eyebrow, "It says 'Give us your food, or else.'"

Jessie snorted, "Who do you think you are? We're Team Rocket; _we_ do the threatening."

The lead Squirtle goaded them in a tone that said they'd be sorry. The trio raised an eyebrow again and looked at their position—a straight-shot to the opposing group. Their targets (whether they knew their intentions or not) had walked right into their camp. They could probably rush them right now and bar their escape with their Pokémon. But if it were that easy, why would the troublemakers stay together in one group?

Jessie and James looked at each other and nodded, releasing their Pokémon from where they stood. When they appeared, the ground in front of the agents caved, making Ekans and Mankey fall right into the pit while the remaining Pokémon took flight to avoid it and looked down.

A vein throbbed on the Jessie's head as she said in a chilling tone, "So, they tried to make a mockery of _us_?"

"This can't go unpunished," James added with his eyes narrowed into a glare. "Lunch can wait."

The Squirtles realized their trap was ruined, so they tightened up their formation with the lead Squirtle in the back. 5-on-5 had good enough odds for them, and they had teamwork on their side. They still wanted the picnic basket, and these other criminals couldn't call the police on them.

James looked into the pit, "Mankey! Are you going to let them make a monkey out of you?!"

"Ekans, burrow underground! Everybody else, charge!" Jessie ordered.

Mankey leaped out of the pit in one bound with his eyes still squinted, but with a furrowed brow. His meditation lessons with James had helped him rein in and control his temper, but the Fighting-type did not enjoy being pranked. He rushed forward alongside the other Rocket Pokémon, save Meowth, who leaped on Jessie's back and whispered in her ear with a grin.

Jessie smirked and stomped her foot twice, a signal that she'd practiced with Ekans. Soon, she felt the press against her boot letting her know of the Snake Pokémon's presence. The female agent squatted down and muttered her orders to Ekans before the push receded.

Meanwhile, the gang of Squirtles held up well against the onslaught of Team Rocket's Pokémon. They stuck together all the time and repelled all attacks with Water Guns. None of their opponents could get close without taking a combined water attack, so the squad was sure they could outlast their opponents and win.

Unfortunately, being little more than pranksters, they had no idea how low Team Rocket could sink to win.

The ground in the center of the gang's guard burst, knocking the leader into the air. Ekans lunged from the hole, knocking aside two Squirtles in the process and she caught the leader in her upper body before wrapping him up with the rest of herself.

His gang cried out in fear, but before he could order them to flee, the tip of Ekans' tail tightened around his mouth to gag him. Before they could attack Ekans, Mankey tackled another one of the Squirtles aside while the group was distracted, pinning him down from behind. Beedrill struck another with Fury Attack before surrounding him with Double Team. Fearow stared down the remaining two that remained on the ground with Leer.

"Welp," Meowth said as he walked beside Ekans and the lead Squirtle. "Dat settles dat. We got what we came for. Jessie, James, call off yer Pokémon."

Their expressions didn't change, but they did so, trusting Meowth to have a plan. But, they didn't return them to their Poké Balls, rather just calling them to their side to keep an eye on things.

One of the Squirtles stepped forward, "Squirtle! Squirt, Squirtle!"

"Let 'im go?" Meowth asked with a snort. "Not a chance, bub. _Yous_ attacked _us_. One way or anothah, we're leavin' wit' a Squirtle."

The same Squirtle put a hand on his chest, "Squirtle."

Meowth stifled a laugh, "Pft! One o' ya is hardly worth yer much stronger, smarter leader! You're just mooks that take orders. G'head, get outta here while we're still feelin' generous an' lettin' ya go."

The gang looked at each other and their leader could tell what they were considering. He managed to get his mouth free and bit down on Ekans' tail. The Snake Pokémon cried out and loosened up a bit, but Meowth clamped a paw over his mouth and sunk his claws into the Water Pokémon's face to keep him from speaking.

"Dat's enough outta you," Meowth said in an annoyed tone as Ekans retightened her grip even stronger than before. "Time ta get you ta yer-"

"Squirtle Squirt!" the gang of Squirtles called in unison. Meowth stopped and looked up at them curiously, letting Ekans muffle the leader again while he stepped forward.

Meowth raised an eyebrow with a grin, " _All_ o' ya fa yer leader's freedom." He paused for a moment to make them sweat and then replied, "Done."

At Meowth's instruction, the gang of Pokémon moved towards the balloon, where Jessie and James readied a weighted net with some stakes to pin it to the ground. The Squirtles had faith that their leader would come up with a plan to rescue them.

Once the net got rooted to the ground, Meowth waved for James to come over, "Well, James, time ta hold up our end o' da deal. Give dis Squirtle a one-way ticket ta freedom."

"Ah, of course," James agreed as his eyes lit up. "Mankey, if you would start limbering up? I want to see how far you can punt that leader."

Jessie smirked and turned to Ekans, "Get ready for the setup, Ekans."

The Squirtles under the net started protesting and Meowth turned to them with a grin, "Oh, we're lettin' 'em go. But ya forgot ta specify how and where."

As Mankey warmed up a bit and Ekans loosened up while holding onto the lead Squirtle by his shell with a single loop of her body, with his mouth freed, he called out to his gang, promising that he would free them. After he spoke, he pulled into his shell to try enduring the hit and crash landing.

His world span as Ekans tossed the squad leader into the rushing Fighting-type. Mankey kicked as hard as he could and sent Squirtle flying over the trees bordering the glade and into the distant landscape.

"And it's _good_!" James called as he held a hand over his eyes to shield them from the sunlight. He turned around and appraised the Squirtles along with Jessie, "Should we catch them in Poké Balls and cement their bond to Team Rocket?"

"Nah," Meowth replied. "We'll be able ta pitch it better if we deliver 'em in person."

Jessie grinned and turned to her teammates with a cheery expression, "Now how about that picnic?"

"Yes!" James agreed before turning to the still gathered Pokémon, "And you all deserve a special meal for a job well done!"

* * *

On the outskirts of the nearby town, on the path that Ash and co. intended to take to Vermillion City, the trio took a break while Misty fished in a river to hopefully catch a new Pokémon. Brock, Ash and Pikachu lay back against the grass, staring up at the clouds.

While his eyes faced the formations up above, his mind fixated on what Officer Jenny told them about the Squirtles that had tried to prank them.

The locals had dubbed them the Squirtle Squad, a group of Pokémon that had been abandoned by their Trainers and caused trouble for the town—stealing food, vandalizing the buildings, digging pitfalls, et cetera. Still, Ash couldn't help but fixate on the fact that somebody abandoned each of them.

Jenny had even commented how if they had somebody to care for them, then they might not have turned out so bad.

Ash thought about Charmander, who had been abandoned by Damian even if he didn't believe it at the time. If he hadn't held onto his faith until Damian explicitly _said_ that he'd planned to leave him behind, he could've wound up just like the Squirtle Squad or worse.

'Team Rocket may be the bad guys, but at least they seem to care about their own Pokémon,' Ash thought bitterly. 'How could anyone just abandon their Pokémon like Damian and the Squirtles' old Trainers?'

"Huh?"

Ash sat up at Misty's questioning sound and followed her gaze to see something coming in from the distant sky. He took out his binoculars, and looked to see a red turtle shell flying in before he lowered them to notice it falling into the center of the river with a large splash.

The Pallet Trainer jumped to his feet and took out a Poké Ball, "This can't be good. Bulbasaur!" Once he appeared, Ash said, "A Pokémon just fell into the river, try to fish 'em out with Vine Whip. They should still be in their shell."

Bulbasaur nodded and reached out with his vines, feeling around until he perked up and the other vine moved towards the one downstream. Pulling upward, he retrieved the withdrawn Pokémon and brought him to shore. The Grass-type set him down on his stomach and Ash put a hand on the back of the shell.

"Squirtle? What happened?" he asked, trying to rouse the Tiny Turtle Pokémon.

Eventually, he pushed his limbs out and stood up, rubbing his head while grimacing, still wearing his sunglasses. Once he shook his head clear, he looked at Ash's concerned face before leaping away, putting distance between himself and the Trainer.

"Squirt! Squirtle Squirt! Squirtle!" Squirtle shouted as he shook a fist at Ash.

Bulbasaur and Pikachu seemed to take offense, and Ash noticed this before shrugging, "I can't tell what you just said, but I'm trying to help you. What happened to your team?"

The gang leader seemed to recall something before running up the slope and around the group of Trainers, back the way he'd flown from.

"Wait!" Ash called. "We can help you get them back!"

Squirtle stopped and hesitated for a moment. He really, really, _really_ didn't want to ask humans for help. But he knew that he wouldn't be able to take all six of Team Rocket's Pokémon (he'd felt the strength that the Meowth had behind that tiny paw) by himself. The Water-type looked back to notice that the redhead and the tall Trainer had already grabbed their supplies to follow.

Gritting his teeth in frustration, he called for them to follow while waving a hand.

Ash recalled Bulbasaur and let Pikachu climb on his shoulder to keep him close. He just _knew_ that Team Rocket was behind this, and he didn't want to risk losing Pikachu in the confusion.

* * *

Back in the sequestered glade, Team Rocket had a celebratory meal over the past hour, a campfire recently extinguished after James finished preparing the Pokémons' rewards. While the humans along with Meowth enjoyed the rice balls, sandwiches, various breads and canned lemonade in the picnic basket, each of the other Pokémon had particular meals prepared by the team chef.

Ekans and Fearow each had some seasoned meat prepared, the snake gulping down a good-sized drumstick while the bird of prey got a medium sized side of meat. Beedrill still had to leave to find nectar, since none of the other foods particularly interested him, so Jessie made a mental note to extract a good amount and put it in a jar for next time her darling earned it.

Meanwhile, Mankey got a good portion of the basket's rice balls along with his own bowl of fried rice. James had to teach him how to use the chopsticks, but after a bit of patience (which he wouldn't have had without James' temper management lessons), he managed and enjoyed it greatly along with his favorite food.

Koffing got rewarded with his favorite food as well, something that James always kept in the balloon's miniature fridge to ferment—pickled radishes. Aside from liking the taste, radishes were a gassy vegetable and broke down relatively fast in Koffing's system, so he could afford to indulge himself a bit more than with regular Pokémon food. James also thoughtfully put them on skewers and planted them into the ground so Koffing could eat without assistance.

While the feast continued, James snuck away with four sandwich halves on a plate and went over to the Squirtle Squad still in their net. Pulling up a small portion of the net between two of the stakes, he slid the food underneath.

The Pokémon regarded it suspiciously and James waved a hand before turning to leave, "Go on; it's not poisoned or anything. And there's no point delivering you to your new boss hungry."

With that done, James rushed back to the picnic before all of the food got eaten. The gang looked at each other. They _were_ hungry, but at the same time, they didn't want to accept food from the enemy. Then again, an hour had come and gone and their leader hadn't returned. Maybe he had been too injured in the fall.

Or perhaps, he would be too late. Which was better, to hope while hungry or prepare for the worst with some food?

Deciding that eating would serve their purpose either way, thinking that when (if, a slightly dour voice muttered among them) they got freed, they would fight better after it, they each reluctantly took a sandwich half.

Back at Team Rocket's picnic, Ekans had already left the group, finished with her meal. Beedrill was still absent as well, but everybody continued on with their meal. The moment of camaraderie between the criminals and their Pokémon was worthy of a picture from their good cheer—a mood to be shattered with three words.

"There they are!"

The trio frowned as they, along with their Pokémon still in attendance, turned to the entrance of the glade right in their line of sight and saw Ash and his friends running down the path.

"Oh, look," Jessie simpered after swallowing another bite of her sandwich. "The Squirtle's gone and formed a new team, the Twerp Brigade."

Meowth gulped down a can of lemonade before letting out a sigh and commenting, "Guess he ain't gonna take dis lyin' down."

"Well, let's wait and see what the twerps intend to do," James added as he wiped some spare grains of rice from his face.

Ash growled at Team Rocket ignoring him and put an extra burst of speed into his run, Brock and Misty keeping pace.

Meowth picked up the last rice ball and said, "No point lettin' dis food go ta waste." He split it and handed the other half to Mankey, "C'mon, big guy, I'll split it wit'cha." The Fighting-type nodded with a happy expression and scarfed it down as he casually made his way towards the picnic basket. Meanwhile, Jessie wiped the excess food from her mouth with a napkin before taking time to reapply her lipstick and James started collecting everyone's dishes with a merry hum.

Ash and his friends were well into the glade now, but Squirtle started noticing things, putting aside his thoughts of vengeance for a moment. He noticed something different about the picture in front of him from last time. The criminals' balloon was parked further away now, near the trees instead of at the center. And his gang was calling out frantically to him, but he couldn't hear what they were saying from this distance in addition to them all speaking at once. Before he could ponder this further, it was already too late to warn Ash.

Squirtle felt the ground caving and leapt forward by instinct, but the humans weren't so lucky. The Trainers and Pikachu fell into a pitfall trap, since Ash had been in such a rush that he had neglected to use his walking stick to test the ground. The leader growled when he realized what had changed. Team Rocket had used his own trap against them!

"Now!" Jessie and James called.

Mankey reached into the picnic basket and pulled out a shiny blue net before charging forward and knocking Squirtle aside in his dash to the hole. The Water-type managed maintain his footing at first, but then Swift stars slammed into him, knocking him on his back.

As the Pig Monkey Pokémon threw the net over the hole, Ekans and Beedrill rushed from their hiding places in the trees nearby, each holding two stakes with wide tops. She had them wrapped up in her tail and placed each one in the holes between the netting before ramming them in with a head-butt. Beedrill, both used to making accurate stabs and having them directly fixed to his stingers, simply drove each one in directly before prying his stinger loose.

James nonchalantly put the dirty dishes back in the basket and folded up the picnic blanket before resting it on top and whistling, "Mankey, could you take this back to the balloon and wait there, please?"

Mankey nodded and snatched the basket before running off. Meanwhile, Jessie recalled all three of her Pokémon and gestured for her partners to follow her to the hole.

Looking down through the tightly woven net, she said, "You three just fall for that every time, don't you?"

"What do you want with the Squirtle Squad?!" Ash demanded.

"'Squirtle Squad'?" James repeated with a raised eyebrow. "Ooh, that's catchy. Need to remember that in our sales pitch."

Misty shouted indignantly from below, "You're going to _sell_ them?!"

"Oh, please," Jessie dismissed. "We have something _far_ greater in mind for them, not that it's any of your business. Selling them's a good backup plan, though."

"Bulbasaur, cut this net away with Razor Leaf!" Ash ordered as he released his Pokémon within the pit.

Team Rocket merely leaned back as the leaves stretched out the net before it bounced back, sending the leaves fluttering down, useless.

"Ya tink we'd use just _any_ net?" Meowth asked mockingly. "Nah, you're lookin' at a triple-ply fireproof rubber net. Ain't no gettin' out wit'out some time dat ya don't got. Bye~"

The trio turned to leave when a voice shouted, "Squirtle!"

They regarded him before laughing. "Yeah, we're _real_ scared o' ya," the feline agent joked.

He used that distraction to try shooting a Water Gun at their balloon, but Koffing intercepted it, firing a Sludge attack that did little more than slow the attack down before guarding the balloon with his body.

James growled, "Koffing, deal with this upstart. Jessie, Meowth, we'd better leave— _now_."

"Get back here!" Brock shouted as Geodude tackled against the net, only for it to stretch far, but send the Rock Pokémon falling back to the bottom of the pit. Team Rocket ignored them and rushed over to the captive Squirtles, dodging the Water Guns they shot through the net along the way.

Squirtle tried to intercept them with Rapid Spin, ignoring the caged humans. He never should've trusted a human to do his job. His progress was once again halted by Koffing, the Poison-type blowing Smog out of his back pores to counter the momentum. Squirtle broke away and popped out of his shell again, irritated at the Pokémon before him.

Koffing met his gaze, for once, not grinning widely. This fight meant more to him than just doing his part to ensure their escape.

Team Rocket pulled up one side of the stakes before rolling the weights of the net underneath the Squirtles and tripping them up in the process. They did the same with the other stakes and left them behind before Jessie hefted the flailing Water Pokémon over her shoulder. Whenever they started spraying her, she gave the net a good shake to disorient them.

Meanwhile, in the pit, Ash had Rattata stand on Geodude, who floated up to the net. With the net in range, the Mouse Pokémon started gnawing at the netting, having already tried Hyper Fang to no effect. The only solution seemed to be slowly wearing a hole big enough for her to squirm through and break the tops of the stakes.

James kept his eye on the battle as Jessie fastened their captives to the back of the balloon, wrapping the net around a hook in the back with the weights rolling about inside the basket. James made a "tch" sound as Koffing was forced to take another Water Gun to guard the balloon.

"Koffing's getting hurt too much," he observed. "Mankey, I want you to-"

"Kof!"

James blinked at Koffing's protest and then looked to Meowth after he finished speaking. Meowth shrugged, "He says he wants ta do it himself."

Koffing panted, determined to succeed. Lately, he'd been feeling some inadequacy to the more recent Pokémon. Unlike Ekans, who could burrow and bind opponents, Koffing didn't bring much to the party except a sure escape. He knew how important his role was, and had participated in a good portion of battles, but Spearow evolving into Fearow worried him.

He noted the balloon starting to rise, the extra weight making it a slower ascension.

The Poison-type held no fear that James would replace him, but he feared that he'd grow obsolete—that his Trainer wouldn't need him. He wanted to be just as useful to James as Mankey was. So he resolved to not just stall for time, but to win!

As the balloon lifted halfway up the trees' height, James cupped his hands and shouted, "Just a little more, Koffing! You can do this!"

The words seemed to trigger something in James' Pokémon as he leaned down, muttering "Koooooooff…" before shouting skyward.

"FING!"

With that shout, Koffing's body flashed white before he started to change. Squirtle's jaw dropped before he started firing another Water Gun, still trying to shoot down the balloon, but the evolving Pokémon moved in his way again.

The Poison Gas Pokémon's body morphed, becoming larger and seeming to split into two spheres as a third one grew from the double-sphere attached by two tube-like extensions. When the light faded, it revealed the Pokémon's new body to have two faces, one for each sphere. Both weren't grinning, seeming rather somber.

"Weezing…"

James held up a fist in celebration, "Amazing! Koffing's evolved into Weezing! Now, show that turtle who's boss! Sludge attack!"

Both of the mouths shot a stream of black sludge, the two converging into a larger one. Squirtle countered with Water Gun, but this time, he got overpowered, the sludge only thinning out a bit before it smacked into him, knocking him on his back.

"Now, Smog Ram!" the blue-haired agent commanded with his fist held forward. Weezing shot gas out of both sets of back pores, accelerating him further than before and tackling the downed Squirtle. He went flying right into a tree before sliding down. The Water-type had been seriously injured from the crash already, and Weezing had grown much stronger than him.

As the balloon rose high in the sky now, Weezing flew back to James' side with a smile on both his faces. James patted him affectionately, "Well done, Weezing! Today's mission was a success because of _you_!"

Meowth looked down along with Jessie as he commented, "I wouldn't count yer money yet, James."

The male agent followed his teammates' gaze and saw Rattata and Geodude moving aside half of the net as Ash climbed his way out of the pit.

"If that twerp gets any Pokémon out, it'll be more trouble than it's worth," Jessie grumbled. "Time for our secret escape upgrade."

"It ain't tested yet," Meowth warned as he held up the trigger anyway—a cylindrical rod of metal with a red button on it.

Jessie took it in her hand and said, "Sometimes you have to run before you walk, Meowth." She pressed the button with her thumb, "Now!"

"Quick, Weezing, get in the basket!" James urged once he realized that their escape plan would be used after all. No sooner than the Poison Gas Pokémon floated in did two hatches open on the sides of the balloon basket and two rockets extended, pointing forward relative to the face on the balloon.

Once Ash saw what they were and the thrusters started warming up with a whir, he threw a Poké Ball skyward towards Team Rocket and hastily ordered, "Pidgeotto, Clothesline Dash to cut down the Squirtle Squad!"

But by the time his Pokémon materialized, the rockets flared to life, propelling the balloon away from the glade into the horizon at breakneck speed. As all of the agents held on and the Squirtle Squad rocked in their precarious prison, James held Weezing in one arm as he faced the rear and ordered over the roaring winds, "Weezing, Smokescreen!"

Weezing opened his two mouths and James angled his body to rotate and spread the obscuring gas as thoroughly as he could. Ash hurriedly ordered Pidgeotto to clear the smoke away, but more smoke got spewed out over a long distance and by the time all of it cleared, the balloon was lost over the great distance.

"No…" Ash muttered despairingly. Misty and Brock got out of the net moments later and only had to look at their friend's expression to know what happened. Pikachu comforted the young boy from his shoulder while Rattata leaned against his leg and Pidgeotto landed on the ground next to him with a solemn expression.

But Ash wiped his tears away quickly and said, "Squirtle needs help. Let's take him to the Pokémon Center."

"Oh, right," Brock agreed before the trio moved to the unconscious Pokémon and Ash picked him up.

* * *

"The Boss is in a meeting right now," Matori reported once Meowth called on the communicator.

Meowth sighed, "Fair enough. We won't get there fa 'nother hour 'r two, anyway. But we got somethin' interesting for da Boss."

"Then I'll schedule an appointment," Matori said with a nod before frowning. "See to it that you're not wasting his time."

The connection cut out and Meowth felt his shoulders relax. He could deal with Giovanni easily enough, since the leader could see their worth. Matori, the feline agent had heard, treated all the operatives – even elites – with the same professionalism and made him feel like he was always under a microscope.

As Team Rocket continued their flight back to HQ, James leaned over the back of the basket.

Addressing the Squirtle Squad, he asked, "How's it hanging? Sorry if that little stunt made you uncomfortable, but we couldn't risk losing you."

Only a Water Gun to the face answered his question and apology. Wiping his face clean without another word and shaking the excess water off to the trees below, James regarded the Pokémon seriously.

"Look, one way or another, you belong to us now," he said. "You had best get used to it. Believe it or not, we're doing you a favor by capturing you and leaving out your rebellious leader. Pokémon as smart as you? Of _course_ you belonged to Trainers once. They abandoned you, leaving you to a life of petty thugs. Team Rocket will lead you to greatness. Something as unique as a Pokémon team can have a high place in our ranks."

They ignored him, and James waved a hand as he continued, "Look, you toe the line, do a few missions, and life can be a dream come true on this ship. But…" he relished the slight tensing his pause generated, "should you disobey our Boss, or try to make us look bad in this pitch, the four of you will be sold off to the highest bidder. Separately."

The gang looked up at him in shock and James just leaned back into the balloon basket, "Think about what's most important on the way back." Jessie and Meowth regarded him with wide-eyed expressions when he turned around.

"What?"

Jessie blinked, "I didn't know you could be so threatening."

"It's the truth," James replied with a shrug. "Far more effective than any threat or bluff can accomplish."

* * *

At first Ash wanted to wait at the Pokémon Center, but he figured that Squirtle wouldn't want to see him. He had failed. Walking gloomily with his walking stick, Ash continued with his friends on the road to Vermillion City.

"Ash, there was nothing we could do from that pit," Brock tried to console.

"Pikaaa," Pikachu agreed from Ash's shoulder, distressed at his Trainer's depression.

Ash shook his head, "But I got out. I was _right there_ , and they got away anyway. I couldn't even cut down the Squirtle Squad."

"They had _rockets_ attached to their balloon," Misty reminded him.

"I could've done more."

"Were you there when Team Rocket caught the Squirtle Squad?"

"No."

"Are you psychic?"

"No."

The redhead crossed her arms, "Then there's no way you could've known to stop them before you did, so quit beating yourself up."

Ash let out a sigh, but stood up a little straighter as he kept walking, "We'll get them next time." He began planning to train at the next spot that they set up camp. If he could teach at least one of his Pokémon Dig, like Ekans seemed to know, then they could escape from pitfalls that much faster.

"That's the spirit!" Misty cheered.

* * *

The instant he'd woken up, he fled the white room he'd been in and looked around for the humans that he'd met. He didn't like them, but they were the only lead he had for the bad humans. If he wanted the chance to retrieve (or at least avenge) his team, then his best chances were following the trio.

Squirtle dashed between sparse hiding places as he followed Ash and co., his serious expression matching his sunglasses.

* * *

In the net on the balloon, the four Squirtles each held their round sunglasses in their hands as they thought. The blue-haired human had warned them that they could be separated if they rebelled.

They cherished each other greatly. Under their leader, they'd stuck together through thick and thin. But he wouldn't be able to find them where they were going. Which mattered more, following what a past leader would've wanted and surrendering their connection, or holding onto that in the times ahead and acknowledging a new leader?

There wasn't even a question about it.

With a collective resigned sigh, the former Squirtle Squad stored the sunglasses in their shells. They would keep them to remember better days, but they wouldn't allow themselves to be separated just because their leader wouldn't have surrendered.

* * *

Once the Rocket Trio arrived, they parked the balloon in a secluded landing dock near the entrance of the hideout and walked around to their capture. The Squirtles remained silent and when James gave them a good look, he nodded.

"All right," he said. "I think they understand the situation. They can walk on their own."

The agents opened the net, but the Water Pokémon didn't attempt to run. They walked out and lined up in a diamond formation. Satisfied with their submission, they walked ahead of them, leading the Squirtles to the entrance of Rocket HQ. A digital keypad stood at each side of the grand doors.

Jessie and James moved to each one and punched in their agent ID numbers before glancing to each other and pressing enter at the same time. "Squad 13" appeared on both screens before the doors creaked open automatically. **(1)**

The trio led the Squirtles inside and followed a path to go towards the Boss's office. Matori saw them and notified Giovanni before saying they could enter.

The Water Pokémon gulped nervously as they followed their captors into the office. When they actually saw the man, they slightly shivered at his oppressive aura before steeling themselves and trying their best to seem like a good investment.

Giovanni regarded them before turning his gaze to Jessie and James, who were internally as nervous as the Squirtle Squad.

" _This_ is what you have to show me after two consecutive failures?" he asked rhetorically.

Meowth stepped forward, "Ah, don't write 'em off yet, Boss. These four Squirtle're special. They had been parta a Pokémon gang."

Giovanni raised an eyebrow in response and one of the Squirtles spoke to Meowth, rattling off their list of better pranks.

"They pulled tons o' heists on da market where they lived," Meowth translated, intentionally inflating it a bit. "Stole food, made fools outta da locals, an' all o' dis under da police's nose."

"That seems a bit too organized for a group of wild Pokémon," the Rocket leader observed.

James nodded, "They belonged to Trainers, but were abandoned. And yes, they had a leader that they took orders from, but it would've been more trouble that it was worth to bring them into line with _that_ one raising morale."

The Squirtles wanted to lash out at the male agent for that remark, but brought themselves under control since Giovanni watched for any signs of rebellion.

"And these four Squirtle have potential," Jessie added. "They could be the very first all-Pokémon squad on Team Rocket. And with their small size and Water typing, they could sneak in through water lines and such."

Meowth pretended he didn't notice the Boss looking at him while he looked at the Squirtles and said, "Eh, but I'd hold off on tryin' ta teach 'em ta talk. It can stunt a Pokémon's growth. Stick ta readin' an' writin' fa their report filin'."

Giovanni remained silent for a time.

"Very well, I'll have them sent to the Team Rocket Academy for training, then," the leader of Team Rocket replied. "However, the results of this experiment, good or bad, will be on you three's heads."

The Rocket trio saluted, replying in unison, "Of course, sir."

"Dismissed. You four Squirtles are to wait with my secretary for your instructor to pick you up."

The trio left and the Squirtles shuffled out of the office to wait near Matori's desk.

* * *

 **Notes:**

 **1\. The security at HQ never seems to be touched on, and just having the doors be open all the time seems a bit reckless, especially for a building filled to the brim with criminal agents. Also, I just labeled them as Squad 13 for laughs.**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	10. Chapter 10: A Sense of Scale

**Hey, so after I found a fanfic called Rockets Rising (note the lack of apostrophe), I decided to change the name of this fic. Team Rocket Triumphs was also taken (good stuff by Inferno Vulpix; give it a read if you have a chance). But I also needed something that could double as a series title, soooo… I went with Common Sense. Hope nobody minds the change overly much.**

* * *

Chapter 10: A Sense of Scale

Ash and co. made their way through a slightly worn path in a forest, searching for the main road after again trying to take a shortcut. Luckily Ash had stocked up on medicines and extra Poké Balls (he had already used the six given to him by Professor Oak) while in the town the Squirtle Squad used to live at.

Unfortunately, Brock couldn't get much from the market, since most of the food got stolen by said gang. As a result, the trio had to ration the food they ate while traveling.

But, because of that shopping trip, he learned about how Pokédex credits work. For every battle, the losing Trainer has to give over a small portion of their current money to the winner, including Gyms, where a larger portion was at stake for both the Leader and the Challenger. The only exceptions were Gyms not sanctioned by the Pokémon League and unlicensed Trainers.

From all of the Trainers that Ash had battled before on the way to AJ's Gym, he'd gained a good amount in his savings. But since he was traveling, he didn't really have much use for the usual stuff he'd buy, so he mostly left the money alone except for food and supplies. He hadn't met any Trainers for a while now, probably because he and his friends currently wandered off the beaten path.

"The road's gotta be somewhere," Ash muttered as he traveled with his walking stick, Pikachu padding slightly behind him. Because of the wooden branch, he was the least tired of the trio.

Brock simply said, " _Everything's_ somewhere…"

"Ash, have you gotten us lost again?" Misty asked with a huff.

The Pallet Trainer shrugged, honestly not quite sure, "I guess I'm hoping to run into a new Pokémon to catch while we look for Vermillion City."

The Cerulean Leader raised an eyebrow, "Why? You already have a full team."

"You _do_ remember that League participants can only carry six Pokémon, don't you?" Brock asked.

"Of course I remember," Ash answered. "Still, a Water Pokémon will come in handy, I'm sure."

"If a fire breaks out, my Pokémon will be able to handle it," Misty reassured. "Don't forget you have our help too, Ash."

Ash turned around briefly, "I know, but I'll need to catch different kinds of Pokémon to compete in the League anyway. And I'll feel safer having Pokémon in reserve against Team Rocket."

"He does have a point," the Pokémon breeder granted. "But Ash, you know that more Pokémon means more time you'll have to spend training them, right? Or else the new ones will get left behind in strength."

"I can manage," the raven-haired boy said confidently. Then he heard ocean waves and quickened his pace, making sure to plant the stick ahead of him with each step. He came out of the trees to a sandy shore and looked around. Waves crested as the sun set over the horizon in front of him.

He laughed, "A beach!" But the view didn't really concern him. Ash looked around, not seeing any Pokémon. Tilting his head down with a sigh, he muttered, "Great view, but what I'd really like to see is a Pokémon."

"Then open your eyes," Brock commented.

Ash did so with a questioning grunt and saw a tiny crab-like Pokémon walking sideways between his legs. He had sharp looking pincers at the ends of his arms and large eyes with a shining red carapace. The lower half of his body and his arms and legs were colored beige and his shell had two spikes at the top. The crab looked at him curiously from below as he went by, rasping with "kuki" sounds.

Once the Pokémon passed, Ash turned around and said, "Hey, wait!" He took out Dexter and pointed it at the crab while he continued scuttling by.

 ** _"_** ** _Krabby, the Crab Pokémon. Lives near the shore. Its average height is about 16 inches."_**

"16 inches?" Misty repeated, looking at the diminutive Pokémon. "Guess this Krabby's kinda puny."

Krabby abruptly stopped walking and began gurgling with a light froth of bubbles from his mouth, even though it didn't move.

Ash got on his knees next to the Crab Pokémon and said, "Hey, don't insult Krabby! You know what they say: 'Good things come in small packages.'" He patted Krabby on the head, "Right?"

The Water-type glanced at him and the froth slowly disappeared. Pikachu walked up with a friendly smile, "Pika."

"Kuki?"

"Pika, pika. Chu!"

"I'm looking for strong Pokémon to compete in the Pokémon League," Ash explained. "Would you like to join?"

Krabby looked at him and then made a happy expression with his eyes. **(1)** The Trainer took out a Poké Ball and Krabby tapped a claw against it, activating the capture mechanism. The sphere popped open and converted the Pokémon to red energy. Once it closed, the button glowed red for a moment without shaking before it faded.

"You know, most Trainers actually _catch_ their Pokémon," Misty commented while Ash stood up. The line between the two halves of the ball and around the button glowed red.

The red glow flared white and sparked before the ball turned to pure energy and warped away. Ash took out his Pokédex and said, "I'm not most Trainers, I'm Ash Ketchum. Besides, I like to be friends with my Pokémon." He smiled as Krabby appeared on the screen's list of Pokémon. Then he blinked as a thought occurred to him.

When the repeated pings started sounding from Dexter, Brock asked, "Ash, is there something you need to know?"

"I know about the Pokémon I catch after six being transferred, and how to switch them, but where do they go?" Ash asked, closing his Pokédex.

The redhead nodded, "That's easy. Krabby got warped to wherever you got your Pokédex from."

"Professor Oak," the young Trainer recalled.

"That's right. Krabby just got transported automatically to Professor Oak's Pokémon laboratory," Brock explained. "So don't worry."

Ash put a hand to his chin in thought, "So Krabby's with Professor Oak, huh…?" A vision of the man putting a pot of water on to boil jumped to the forefront of his mind. "Oh, now I'm _doubly_ worried…"

He looked up, "Isn't there any way I can make sure Krabby's okay?"

"We _could_ call Professor Oak to check on it," Brock answered, "but we haven't passed a phone all day. And this beach is pretty far out of the way…"

Misty huffed, "I'm more worried about having to camp out _again_ tonight. I'm sick of sleeping in sleeping bags!"

"I'm just worried about finding a way to find out if poor little Krabby's okay…" Ash muttered.

"Pika!" Pikachu called, jumping and pointing to something down the shore. "Pika!"

Everybody turned curiously and followed the Pokémon's gaze to see a lighthouse perched on a cliff a good distance away.

"It's a lighthouse," Misty said in wonder.

"A lighthouse!" Ash cheered. "Every lighthouse has to have a keeper, and they'll have a phone! And I'm gonna use it to call Professor Oak!"

Misty beamed, "And there'll probably be some extra beds! A sleeping bag is no way for me to get my beauty sleep."

"Yeah, and there'll be somebody there to tell us where we are," Brock added with a smile.

"Let's go!" the Pallet Trainer urged, leading the way.

* * *

From back in the trees, Squirtle watched the trio of humans with both frustration and interest. Frustration because they were going somewhere he couldn't follow while staying out of sight—interest because of the boy with the hat. Ash, he thought he'd heard the tall one and the female say a few times while tailing them.

Not only did Ash defend and comfort a Pokémon that wasn't his, but he even gave a choice to join rather than just going to battle right away. Squirtle knew that the humans had taken him to get healed after his defeat, but he had figured it to be out of pity. He'd never considered that Ash did it out of some standard he held himself to.

'Whatever. Weird humans aren't my problem, they're my bait for the problem,' the Water-type dismissed. 'Guess I'll have to wait out here and try to intercept those two humans and the Meowth by myself.'

He took a seat, biding his time with his arms crossed as the sun fully set.

* * *

By the time the Trainer trio reached the lighthouse, night had fallen. Ash let out a single breath of relief, leaning a bit on his walking stick, "Phew, that was farther than it looked."

Misty panted slightly, "Maybe I should get a walking stick too. It seems to save energy."

They reached the doors of the house adjoining the lighthouse and looked at the carved images in the wood. Squinting a bit, Ash thought he could make out some images of Pokémon.

"This lighthouse looks weird," Brock commented.

Misty shrugged, "Guess we'd better ring the bell."

"I got it," Ash said as he fixed his walking stick to its familiar place between his back and his bag. He reached forward and pressed the button on a speaker next to the entrance. But he flinched back slightly with his friends when ominous bells instead of the standard chime echoed through the building in front of them. They hid against the door with their backs against it until a voice spoke from the speaker.

"Who's there?"

Brock turned to the speaker in surprise and said, "E-excuse us, sir, but we're travelers and we're lost."

"We've got a small emergency here," Ash added as he stepped forward, "and we need to use your telephone, please, sir."

Misty pushed the younger Trainer out of the way, "We've been camping out for a quite a while, and I'd sure appreciate a nice, comfy bed."

"And I wonder if I could use your kitchen to make some bacon double cheeseburgers for our group," the Pewter Leader requested. "And I'd be more than happy to make something for you."

"That's great, can you cook without using tofu?" the voice asked.

Brock nodded, "Oh, sure, I can cook lots of things without using any tofu."

"That's good," the lighthouse keeper replied. "I've been eating nothing but tofu since my cook went on vacation. Come on in!"

The doors started creaking outward by themselves as the Trainers stepped back. Once fully opened, they stepped through into the dim foyer. It had arched rafters near the ceiling along with intricate moldings on the wall, making an oddly complex design for a house in the middle of nowhere.

Regardless, Ash called out, "Would you mind if I borrowed your phone?"

"There's a phone right near you," the voice answered.

The trio looked around and spotted a video phone with a Bellsprout shaped communicator. Ash smiled, "I'll call Professor Oak now and see if he has my Pokémon."

"I'm sure Krabby's in great shape," Brock reassured him.

The Pallet Trainer punched in his ID number on the Bellsprout's leaves to charge the nominal fee from his credits and then dialed Professor Oak's phone number, "The Professor won't mind if I call just to check in."

Ash held the phone to his ear with the Bellsprout's head operating as the ear and mouthpiece. Soon, the screen turned on and he saw Professor Oak standing over a pot of boiling water, looking up with slight surprise. The Trainer flinched as he feared that his vision had become a reality.

Oak looked up, "Well, hi, Ash! You caught me cooking dinner. My cook is on vacation, and I've got to fend for myself till she returns."

"Wait a minute, Professor!" Ash said. "You're not eating my Krabby, are you?"

The professor raised an eyebrow, "Don't worry! I'm taking good care of your Krabby." He moved aside, revealing the Crab Pokémon to be in a marked glass bowl with a bit of water to help him adjust to the different climate. Once he saw Ash, the Water-type made a happy expression while rasping.

"Krabby!" Ash smiled.

Professor Oak pulled out some steaming tofu from the pot in front of him, "Anyway, that Krabby of yours is too small to make a very hearty meal. On the other hand, the Krabby that Gary caught would make an excellent dinner—much better than tofu!"

"What?!" the Trainer asked. "You mean Gary caught a Krabby too?"

Oak finished chewing his tofu before answering, "Yes, it's quite a catch." He grabbed the monitor in front of him to turn it, "Take a look for yourself."

Once Ash saw the Pokémon Gary caught, he gawked. Gary's Krabby stood well over twice the height that Ash's did. He groaned and Brock couldn't help but be impressed with the breed of the larger Pokémon, muttering "Awesome…"

"I want you to know that my grandson, Gary, has already caught forty-five Pokémon," Oak added.

"Forty-five Pokémon?!" Ash repeated in shock. He slumped down, feeling depressed about how better Gary seemed to be doing.

The professor continued his dinner and asked, "By the way, Ash, just where are you calling me from, anyway?"

"We're at an old lighthouse way up on top of a cliff near the coast," Ash explained after recovering.

Oak's eyes lit up, "Oh, that must be Bill's lighthouse. He's a young Pokémon researcher who knows even more than me! See what you can learn from him. He could teach you just about everything about Pokémon, and then some."

The video phone switched to speaker by itself and the keeper, Bill spoke up through the room's intercom, "This is Bill, Professor Oak. Good to hear from you!"

"Hello, Bill!" Oak replied over the speaker. "Please give my friends a crash course in Pokémon."

The speaker on the phone turned off as the professor held up another block of tofu from the pot, trying to save it from overcooking, "Uh-oh! Tofu's done." He hung up while blowing on the tofu in his chop sticks to cool it.

Bill spoke up again, his voice seeming to come from the end of the foyer now, "Well, there's no way I can ignore a request from the great Professor Oak."

The lights came on and the Trainer trio turned towards the source of the voice. "I am Bill, of the lighthouse."

In front of a doorway at the top of the stairs, a massive Pokémon with red glowing eyes and a domed shell on the back of a black body stood. As he spoke, the upper claws that seemed to serve as his hands scraped against each other with metal sharpening sounds.

* * *

Team Rocket stood on a cliff overlooking the beach from the opposite side of the lighthouse. Their balloon was parked nearby, and they hadn't been able to find their targets, so they began pursuing a different lead.

"According to the phonebook, that lighthouse belongs to Bill, the famous Pokémon researcher," Jessie muttered while looking through her binoculars.

James lowered his binoculars and glanced at his partner, "Then I guess we've come to the right place, huh?"

"A big name in research like him is sure to have _something_ of value," she added. "If nothing for money, then we can always raid his notes for Team Rocket's benefit."

Meowth grinned, "Then there's only one thing fer us ta do."

"Right," the blue-haired agent answered. "Sneak in and take everything we can grab."

Jessie looked through her binoculars, "How shall we sneak in? We could take the road or risk our lives by climbing up the cliff."

"Well, we certainly can't take the road," James argued. "We'd be spotted in an instant. Even if we used the camouflage, _anybody_ would notice a massive cloud floating down to the ground or the top of a building."

The magenta-haired girl nodded, "We _have_ to climb up those cliffs."

"Cuz we're da _bad_ guys," Meowth joked. "And da bad guys always gotta sneak in."

"Let's get the climbing gear and some bazookas, in case Bill has some sort of security system or vault," Jessie suggested.

The trio began to move back, but then paused in thought, all of them thinking the same thing about paper notes and the ocean, if they had to escape that way.

"And a camera," James added.

Meowth nodded, "Yeah, a waterproof camera fer any data we might find."

* * *

Squirtle's head snapped up when he heard crunching sand. He hid behind the tree and looked, only to find that his sunglasses made it hard to see. He lowered them slightly to look over them and saw the trio of criminals making their way towards the lighthouse with grappling hooks, climbing harnesses and bazookas strapped to the two humans' backs.

He started moving to attack them, but realized that the weapons alone would defeat him, the Pokémon they had aside. Worse, it seemed they didn't have his team on them anymore.

The Tiny Turtle Pokémon could attack them, but he _knew_ he couldn't win. The only thing he'd accomplish is going out in a blaze of glory for vengeance and they'd move on with hardly any damage done to them. The only other choice he had was leaving. How was he supposed to look himself in a stream knowing that he hadn't even tried?

As the Water-type felt frustrated with his lack of options, he paused. Then, for the first time since losing his team, a devious grin crawled across his face.

Moving the way that the criminals had come from, Squirtle chuckled to himself thinking about all the damage he could do before they got back. If he was lucky, they still had his team at their balloon and could free them too.

But he decided not to hold his breath on that front.

* * *

"It can't be!" Brock shouted. "That's a Kabuto, an extinct Pokémon! I wonder what it's doing here."

The large Kabuto waved his upper claws, "No, I'm not a Kabuto! I'm Bill, the Pokémon researcher."

"Wait, are you a human being or a Pokémon?" Ash asked confusedly.

Bill explained, "Th-this is a costume; I'm stuck inside it!"

"Do you need help getting out?" the Trainer asked.

"Yes," the researcher replied. "Step up here."

Ash moved up the steps, "Tell me what to do."

"Push that button," Bill instructed. When he got down on one knee, Ash noticed a button on the outside of the suit, "This one here?"

The costume's claw strained to reach it, "Y-yes, these arms are too short! I tried to get out, but I couldn't reach the button."

Ash pressed it and the button blinked blue for a moment before rays of light shone from the line between the Kabuto's body and domed shell. The upper claws popped off as arms extended from inside the costume and the two remaining pieces split from each other, revealing a hunched man who stood up straight once free.

Bill had wavy green hair cut decently short and wore a maroon suit with scarlet cuffs and a similar colored collar embroidered with gold patterns. "Thanks for helping me get out. I've been stuck in that costume for hours!"

Misty and Brock moved up beside Ash, while the Water Pokémon Trainer asked, "Did you come from a costume party?"

"No, it's not for a party," the keeper answered. "This is a special costume that I use in my research. Getting inside their skin helps me get inside their head."

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

Bill looked up and the trio followed his gaze to see depictions of odd and fierce-looking Pokémon, one of them the Kabuto, "There are many kinds of extinct Pokémon, and I want to understand how they lived. Putting on a costume is one way of trying to figure out what they were like."

Ash turned back to the researcher, "You can understand what a Pokémon was like from wearing a costume?"

"Yes, indeed," he replied. "Or I'm beginning to."

Bill stepped past them and took a seat on one of the steps leading up to the doorway, "This planet was created 4.6 billion years ago, and _all_ kinds of Pokémon exist in it. They had many ways of living." The walls of the foyer seemed to disappear as a massive hologram projection of the planet in space with nebulae formed around it appeared.

"All kinds of Pokémon?" Ash asked. "How many?"

As the researcher spoke, the hologram changed to a cylindrical projection of squares, each with a picture of a Pokémon. "On this planet, there are more than one hundred and fifty known species of Pokémon."

"Over a hundred and fifty?" the Trainer repeated incredulously.

Bill smiled and looked at the trio, "You're lucky to be Pokémon Trainers. Your goal is to catch all of these different kinds of Pokémon; that's a great task."

Ash tipped his hat slightly in shame, "Yeah, but so far I've only gotten seven…"

"Of course," Bill continued, "these are just the Pokémon we _know_ about. There are still many Pokémon that have never been discovered. So we need to keep searching."

"How many could there be?"

"No one knows the answer, exactly… the search goes on. There's always something new to look for in our lives, and in ourselves."

* * *

As Ash and co. continued talking with the lighthouse keeper, two Pokémon flying through the air went largely unnoticed. Fearow and Weezing each held a grappling hook, in the bird's talons and the Poison-type's secondary mouth, respectively.

Once they reached the top of the cliff at the base of the lighthouse, they hooked the metal objects to the ground before Fearow drove each one deeper with a solid Peck. The Beak Pokémon then used Mirror Move to conjure up an apparition of Meowth using Swift before the duo flew back to rendezvous with their Trainers near the bottom of the cliff.

Jessie and James clung to the side of the cliff that led up to Bill's lighthouse and saw the stars fly into the ocean, the boy holding Meowth under his arm while hanging onto the cliff with his free hand. They glanced at each other and nodded before letting go of the rocky face and kicking off of it.

Holding onto the rope as it swung them outward and to the far side of the cliff, the agents had to kick off the cliffs a few more times before they finally reached the side they wanted, though it cost them some height to start from a more stealthy end. Once there, Fearow and Weezing met up with them. James let Meowth grab onto the cliff side himself and held up Weezing's Poké Ball as Jessie held Fearow's.

"Return," they both whispered. Once done, the trio began their climb up to Bill's lighthouse following the rope up the cliff as they climbed with their hands.

* * *

"Keep looking for new Pokémon to catch," Bill concluded while he led the Trainer trio up the stairs to the lighthouse's lookout. "It's something that's _very_ important for Pokémon research. It's as vital to me as it is to you." He smiled, "Right now, though, there's only _one_ Pokémon I'm searching for."

"What kind of Pokémon?" Ash asked.

He looked out over the sea from the balcony, "It's probably the biggest Pokémon ever. Bigger than _all_ of the rest! And no one has ever seen it. It's been wandering the earth for years and years, looking for friends."

"But," Misty commented, "doesn't that Pokémon have any friends or family?"

"The Pokémon wanders because it's alone," Bill answered. "It's the only Pokémon of its species—one of a kind." He took a remote control from his pocket and pressed a button, "One night, I heard this very strange sound coming across the ocean."

A moaning cry played from the lighthouse. The researcher spoke, "'I want… I want to meet you.' That's what it said to me. Some time ago, I recorded a similar sound, and played it from the lighthouse towards the ocean."

"'Let's be friends. I want to meet you,'" Bill translated as a cry of a different pitch and frequency played. "One day, I heard the same voice calling back to me from over the ocean. 'I want to meet you too. I want to be friends.' It was answering me back. Some foggy night, that Pokémon might come here to meet a friend it's been seeking for a very long time." He grinned, "I would be so happy to meet that Pokémon!"

"But will you try to capture the Pokémon?" Ash asked in a concerned tone.

Bill shrugged, "Why do I need to capture it? Meeting it would be enough for me. Just a chance to study it would make my long wait worthwhile." He lifted a finger to continue when another cry sounded from the ocean. Everybody gasped and looked over the ocean to see a colossal figure wading through the ocean towards the lighthouse.

"It's here! The signal!" Bill cried as he pressed another button on the remote. The light up above on the building began to glow in different colors as the recorded cry sounded out. The Pokémon cried out in response and started moving closer.

Misty and Brock wore mystified smiles at the wail. "It's like it's singing…" the Cerulean Trainer said dreamily.

The breeder held a hand to his chest, "Would you care to dance?"

"Thank you," she replied. The two Gym Leaders danced a waltz on the balcony and Pikachu swayed back and forth to the Pokémon's cries.

* * *

Down on the cliffs, about halfway up until they reached the top, the Rocket trio had stopped to listen to the soothing tones as well.

Jessie smiled, "What beautiful music…"

"It's very haunting, yet so sweet," James critiqued with a similar expression.

Meowth was grinning as well, but his eyes drifted to look over the ocean to where it came from. His expression fell into shock as he pointed and screamed, "Look! It's comin' from _dat_ thing!" The two human agents turned at his scared tone and they gawked at the sight before them.

The giant Pokémon had moved much closer to the cliff, its eyes trained on the lighthouse perched at the top while continuing to make its way through the ocean.

"That's a big Pokémon…" Jessie commented.

James raised an eyebrow, "So size _does_ matter."

"Something so rare and unusual—you know what that means! Let's grab it for ourselves!"

"Quite right," James agreed, supporting himself on the cliff and priming his bazooka. "I'll attack it at once." Then he paused, "But it seems a shame to aim at such a sweet creature…"

Jessie smirked, "Of course it's a shame; we've built our fame on shame!"

"Go on, fire!" Meowth ordered. "It's all da _shame_ ta me!"

* * *

The Pokémon had been about to reach the lighthouse when a boom sounded and an explosion blasted out on the titan's chest. It cried out in pain and thrashed about, splashing waves that climbed up the cliff's face.

Enraged, the creature turned and smashed the light of the building with its massive tail. Bill stood in shock until Ash pushed him to follow his friends down the stairs. They ran downstairs to avoid the debris. While going down, they heard the boom of two more explosions and the Pokémon's pained cry.

"Please don't go, Pokémon!" Bill implored once they were outside again, at the base of the lighthouse. "Please stay with us! I've waited so long for a chance to see you here!"

The giant shook its head, letting out an enraged wail.

"Pokémon, wait!"

* * *

Team Rocket shook off another massive wave of seawater before taking aim again. Another rocket launched forth from the female agent's bazooka.

James scowled, "Do we _always_ have to mess up everyone's plans? Even _I_ think this is rotten!"

"Quit complaining!" Jessie ordered while she fired another rocket alongside James. "We could score big with _this_ Pokémon!"

The blue-haired criminal heard the surging water before he saw the tail swinging towards them and quickly took the camera out of his pocket.

A flash temporarily illuminated the area around them before the trio got slammed by the appendage and sent flying. The force of the blow caused Jessie and James' ropes to snap from the sudden pull.

They went flying into the distance, James clutching the camera to his chest as he curled around it protectively.

* * *

Bill tried calling out to the giant Pokémon, but it just went back out to sea, fading into the distant fog.

With nothing he could do about it, he called for everybody to retire for the evening. Brock made them all dinner, but it was a heavy affair without much conversation. Luckily, the only part damaged of the buildings was the light itself, so the Trainer trio could still spend the night there.

When morning came, the four of them looked out over the now clear ocean. Ash shook his head, "What kind of Pokémon _was_ that, anyway?"

"Who knows?" Bill answered with a smile. "Pokémon live in more ways and places than humans may _ever_ learn."

* * *

Further down the shore, Team Rocket woke up from their crash landing into the sand. James shook his head, "What in the world was _that_?"

Jessie growled as she clenched the sand in her fists, "One of the rarest Pokémon around. It's exactly the type we've been trying to capture."

"To be fair," her partner commented while checking the integrity of their camera to make sure it survived the crash, "what were we going to do if we weakened it enough? Throw a Poké Ball at it? I'm not sure there's one in the _world_ that could contain such a beast."

"Least we got a photo of it," the feline agent reassured with a grin. "Dat way, da Boss won't think we're crazy. Heck, he might even lend us some tech in case we run inta another giant Pokémon. If there ain't a ball dat can catch one, our Rocket scientists can _make_ one!"

James smirked, "We missed our chance, but we can keep dreaming!"

"When _our_ Pokémon dreams come true, it'll be somebody's nightmare!" Jessie added.

Meowth leaped to his feet, "After all, tomorrow is another day!"

The trio laughed, their spirits lifted after the setback they suffered.

"Squirtle!"

Their laughter halted abruptly at the foreign sound and they turned to the source with a "Hm?"

The leader of the former Squirtle Squad stood there with a frown, still wearing his sunglasses.

"You again?" Jessie asked with an eye-roll. "Don't you know when to quit?"

Squirtle spoke and Meowth translated, "He wants ta know what we did wit' his team. I'll tell ya what we did: a favor."

"Your old gang now has the privilege of being members of Team Rocket," James explained while pocketing the camera. "They fell into line rather easily when I told them the alternative of being sold."

The Tiny Turtle Pokémon growled and shot a Water Gun at James' face. The agent seemed hardly fazed and wiped his face clear before continuing, "You can't fault them for choosing their friendship over pride. The instant you lost them, their main goal became sticking together."

Squirtle growled again and shouted something. Meowth let out a single chuckle before raising an eyebrow, "'I didn't lose them; you kidnapped them'?" The feline agent glanced at Jessie and James, who wore matching smirks, "I don't tink dis Pokémon knows da meanin' o' da word 'leader.'"

He shook his head while the Pokémon across from him glared behind his sunglasses, "Lemme break it down fa ya, Squirt. Bein' a leader means dat ya command a team, or organization, like our boss. Now us field agents o' Team Rocket're our own leaders, 'less we get an order from da big man himself. But a normal team follows their leader, countin' on 'em ta make da decisions and get 'em through safely whenever they get orders. Face it, kingpin; ya crossed da wrong team an' yer own paid da price. After all, what can _one_ leader do against _three_?"

"Once we captured _you_ , your whole team just fell apart," Jessie taunted. "They were oh-so-lost without your guidance."

James chuckled, "It didn't even occur to them to leave you and flee without you ordering it. Just the kind for molding to our own ends with the right motivation."

Squirtle shouted and pulled into his shell before moving to attack them, but Jessie just shook her head and punted the Water-type away. His limbs popped out again and he managed to land on all fours.

"How sad," James commented. "Well, Jessie, should we flip a coin to see who teaches this Pokémon a lesson on picking his battles?"

Meowth stepped forward, "Lemme handle this mook. I didn't get in my trainin' yesterday, an' I'm pretty sure I can beat 'im."

Squirtle stood up and growled at the Pokémon that tricked his team into captivity. Meowth just readied his claws with a grin. The criminal walked around his opponent, the two's eyes locked the entire time.

"Ya know ya don't got a chance, right?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "Even if ya beat me, ya can't beat all o' _their_ Pokémon," the cat pointed out while gesturing with his pupils at Jessie and James. "An' even if ya pull out a miracle, we'll never tell ya where yer team is. Even if ya manage ta find 'em, ya'll hafta fight all o' da agents o' Team Rocket. An' even _then_ -"

"[Shut up!]" the former gang leader shouted before shooting Water Guns at Meowth. He couldn't land any as his opponent dropped to all fours and maneuvered around them, slipping over and under the shots as well as moving closer.

When Meowth got close enough, he shot Swift stars that Squirtle shot down relatively easily, but that gave him a window to rush in and sweep Squirtle's feet out from under him. When the Water Pokémon fell on his back, Meowth casually walked over.

"Ya know, I'm not feelin' really threatened by yer attacks. Didja try _not_ bein' a two-trick pony?"

Squirtle withdrew into his shell and span on his back, chasing Meowth with Rapid Spin. He sighed and sidestepped it, but the turtle managed to ramp off of a sand dune and twist in the air to land on his feet.

Once free, he launched a Bubble attack, surrounding Meowth with them to limit his mobility. Meowth just looked around casually before shaking his head.

"Better, but not enough."

A few Swift stars circled about and popped the bubbles before Meowth sent them at Squirtle. The Water-type shot them down again, but he noticed Meowth continuing to swipe his paws and send out more stars that circled far away from Squirtle before stopping in mid-air.

The ex-leader tried shooting Meowth, but the feline Pokémon just dodged while releasing stars. Soon, Meowth stopped and grinned while holding a paw up.

"Now _dat_ is flauntin' whatcha got, kingpin."

Squirtle looked up and gawked at the large swarm of stars up above him in a dome. Jessie and James just smirked at the sight of the new technique.

"Dodge _this_! Big Bang Blitz!"

Meowth whipped his paw down and the stars rained down with Squirtle as the focal point and the Tiny Turtle Pokémon immediately drew into his shell to endure the assault, but Meowth just grinned wider.

The feline agent held up both paws now, moving them as if weaving the attack, "Fooled ya! Stellar Shell Splitter!"

The rain reorganized as it fell and narrowed into five spears with the rest of the stars concentrated in the center of the bases. The base stars drained into the five tendrils as they bore down, each one aimed at a hole in Squirtle's shell. Each of the limbs thinned out to one or two stars by the end and drilled into the shell's openings.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"Eh?"

Meowth turned around looking up and saw bolts of electricity zap the top half of his attack, vaporizing most of the stars and leaving the attack ending prematurely. Soon after, two familiar vines grabbed Squirtle's shell and took him away.

The Scratch Cat Pokémon looked down the shore to see the Trainers and Pikachu with Ash's Bulbasaur already out. The Pallet Trainer took Squirtle's shell right as the Water-type's limbs came out. His arms and legs were bruised all over, but the back of his head seemed to be the worst. Evidently he had guarded his sunglasses more than any other part of him.

"What are you doing here?" Ash demanded of the criminals. "Are you just going to follow us everywhere?"

"None of yer business, twoip," Meowth deflected.

Misty scowled, "What'd you do to poor Squirtle?! It wasn't enough that you took his team, you had to beat him up too?"

" _We_ didn't do anything, twerpette," Jessie said with her arms crossed. "Believe it or not, we were just about to enjoy a pleasant picnic the day this wannabe criminal walked into our lives. _He_ attacked _us_ , both then and now."

James nodded, "In fact, the only thing we did that day to the Squirtle Squad was offer them a choice."

"Don't try pulling that," Ash warned. "I know how you three play. What did you do?"

The two of them tilted their heads coyly in thought and Jessie said, "Weeeelll… that choice _might_ have been made under pressure. The leader would've made a lousy catch, but he worked fabulously as a hostage."

"Everything that happened to the Squirtle Squad was by their hand," James defended. "The leader _chose_ to attack us, his gang _chose_ to exchange his freedom for theirs, and once on the way, they _chose_ to accept our terms instead of railing against us in some petty display of resistance."

" _We_ aren't da reason Squirtle lost his team," Meowth said. " _He_ is. Jessie, James, let's get outta here. Ain't no profit ta be made here. An' if Squirtle can't take responsibility for his loss, dat's _his_ problem, not ours."

"Pikachu-" Ash started.

James pulled a device from his pocket, hiding it by covering most of it with his hand, "Do you _really_ want to fight us, twerp? And face our _new_ device?"

"Believe it or not, we _actually_ have somewhere to be that _doesn't_ involve you or your Pikachu," Jessie added. "We can save each other a lot of trouble if we just begrudgingly part ways."

The black-haired Trainer looked to his friends, who both scowled, but nodded. They were still short on supplies, and having their Pokémon injured in a battle wouldn't help anything.

"Good," James said, pocketing the item again. "Time Team Rocket blasted off."

The trio turned around and fled down the beach, disappearing into the trees nearby.

Ash gritted his teeth, hating to let them go without doing anything. Meanwhile, Squirtle knew he was badly hurt and needed help, so he started rifling around in Ash's backpack from over his shoulder.

The Trainer noticed and asked, "Huh? Squirtle, what're you-"

The Water-type took out a Poké Ball and expanded it before tapping it to capture himself. Ash just blinked as the ball fell to the sand, the button glowing without shaking and then dimming. Soon, the ball sent itself to Professor Oak the same as the last one had.

"…What?" he couldn't help but ask.

Brock raised an eyebrow, "I… guess you caught Squirtle…?"

"Sometime you'll have to use that swap feature to ask him what that was all about," Misty commented.

* * *

He arrived at the lab soon and met Professor Oak—another odd human by his standards, but understanding enough to leave him alone after helping with his injuries.

While sitting under a tree and sporting a few bandages, Squirtle let a small smile cross his face. He couldn't get his team back, but he'd have the last laugh today.

* * *

As Team Rocket made their way back, James told his teammates about what he'd done to get them away safely.

Meowth laughed, "They seriously fell for dat?!"

"I _really_ didn't want to have to use this," James joked as he held up the camera. "And it was new to _them_."

"Good work, James," Jessie praised. "Now we can go on to Vermillion with a whole… day… to spare…?"

The trio's jaws dropped at the sight before them once they got back to camp. Their balloon had several holes busted through it along with X's drawn over the eyes in permanent marker and a flooded basket. Any food that wasn't gone had been torn out of their packaging and stomped into the ground. All of their supplies were smashed to pieces on the ground, including their transporter/communicator, James' craft kit and all their medicines.

The only consolation of the whole mess was that they'd already memorized the blueprints torn on the ground, so they didn't have to redraw them, and the Boss already had copies of the relevant ones.

Jessie pinched the bridge of her nose, "Our budget can't handle replacing all of _this_ …"

"And we need da Boss ta like us ta get da tech for catchin' giant Pokémon," Meowth groaned. "We can't ask for a favor _and_ have him cover da damages."

James sighed, "Looks like we'll have to dip into our personal savings once we reach Vermillion. I suppose we _can_ walk…"

"I guess I'll see what we can salvage," the female agent grumbled.

The Pokémon held up a paw, "I'll help, Jess. We might as well leave what ain't good anymore. Dat includes da balloon wit'out James' kit. Seems we'll be tailin' da twoips mainly by foot and whatever we can steal for transport."

"Wait!" James cried. "I don't see…! Mankey, help me out here!"

The agent and Pokémon tipped over the basket and dumped the water out before righting it back on the ground. He jumped in and looked towards the bottom, moving a panel of the basket aside and taking a key from a necklace he wore under his uniform out. His team looked on as they heard a lock click.

"Yes! That Squirtle didn't ruin _everything_!"

Jessie raised an eyebrow, "James, what're you talking about?"

He jumped back out with a huge grin and held several frames under his arm with one presented to the team, "My bottle cap collection!"

Mankey chittered curiously at the decorative metal circles while Jessie and Meowth just palmed their faces.

* * *

 **Notes:**

 **1\. Those who watched the anime know the one. It's essentially this face (^_^) with the pupils squinted.**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	11. Chapter 11: Pikachu's Pride

Chapter 11: Pikachu's Pride

"You're late."

The Rocket Trio cringed with their heads bowed at Giovanni's displeased tone. The man glared at them from a computer screen in a smaller hideout in Vermilion City.

Despite their best efforts, and Fearow to fly around and help them find their way, they still arrived late in the evening that day—still on time, but with less than stellar punctuality.

Jessie spoke up first, "Please forgive us, Boss. We were aiming to steal an exceptionally rare Pokémon and our hot air balloon got destroyed."

She along with her two partners had already worked out what to tell their leader, the truth. Of course, they couldn't tell him that one Squirtle had ruined all of their supplies, so they told specific parts of the truth. If the Boss happened to connect the facts differently, then so be it.

"A rare Pokémon?" he asked, hardly mollified. "The Pikachu again?"

"Actually, no," James politely answered while taking the camera out, his face still lowered. "If you'll allow me, I can show you the sort of Pokémon we saw last night."

Giovanni paused to consider it, "…Proceed."

The male agent nodded and took the memory card out before depositing it into the computer, "We weren't familiar with the species, but we noted the massive size of the beast and attempted to weaken it with bazookas. Unfortunately, the explosives did little more than aggravate the Pokémon, and it overpowered us with a massive swipe of its tail. After we washed up on the shore, we discovered that our balloon had been wrecked and all our supplies missing or ruined."

The Rocket leader looked at the massive Pokémon pictured on another of his own screens and recognized it as a Dragonite, albeit much larger. At the very least, they hadn't lost their craft to that same Trainer. A battleship would be hard pressed to fight such a Pokémon; a glorified balloon stood no chance.

"I see," he replied as James rejoined his teammates. "For now, the loss of your transportation is of no consequence. Stay in Vermilion and be ready to report for duty tomorrow."

"Eh, before ya dismiss us, Boss," Meowth said, holding up a paw. "We got a hunch dat we might run inta anotha giant Pokémon if we keep on tailing dat twoip. If ya could look inta gettin' us something fer dealing wit' those giant Pokémon, we'd gladly supply da funding from our R&D budget."

At length, Giovanni's eyes narrowed, "I have some older technology in storage that could stun such a Pokémon on the ocean, so the donation will not be necessary. It was made to catch large groups of water Pokémon, but dismissed due to its long set-up time. As for a ball to contain it, our Johto branch should have something that can increase your odds. Show me a Pokémon in your possession that could stall a beast like the one you saw that night, and I'll send them to you. But not before."

"Yes, Boss," all three agents replied.

"Dismissed."

* * *

The following morning, Ash held up the map they'd been following with his walking stick held in his fingers as well. He lowered it and looked up at the sign to their destination, at long last with glee. He along with Misty and Brock had accumulated stains all over them from extended travel.

Having finally reached Vermilion City, the trio gave three cheers of "Hip-hip hooray!"

Misty clasped her hands, "I can't wait to take a bubble bath!"

"And I have to hit the laundromat," Brock noted while looking at his dirt-stained clothes.

The Pallet Trainer grinned, "I'm going to-" he glanced down at Pikachu to see him collapsed on the ground, "take Pikachu to the Pokémon Center; what's wrong, buddy?"

"Chaaa…" Pikachu whined while his stomach growled.

Misty looked at the Electric Mouse Pokémon while Ash picked him up, "He must be hungry…"

"We haven't eaten anything decent for three days now," Brock noted.

The three Trainers then blushed as their own stomachs growled. Ash chuckled embarrassedly, "I guess we're _all_ a little hungry, eh, Pikachu?"

Pikachu nodded tiredly.

They quickly identified the hospital building from a distance and then went inside to drop off their Pokémon. But they had barely had the chance to before another Trainer came in with his Rattata on a stretcher.

"Hurry!" he urged the Chansey pushing it along. "You'll be okay, Rattata… Hurry!"

"That Rattata's in rough shape," Brock noted. "I wonder what happened."

Nurse Joy sighed, "Oh, that's the fifteenth one brought in this month!"

"What?" Ash asked.

Joy led them to one of the wards, where several Pokémon of varying types rested on beds with their Trainers hovering nearby. Brock's brow furrowed, "This is terrible…"

"They all lost to Lieutenant Surge," the nurse explained, "the Vermilion Gym Leader."

"Whoa, he must be a really strong Trainer," Ash said.

Misty smirked, "So, Ash, you scared already?"

"No way," he defended.

"Well, you talk big," she continued, "but when you see how tough it is to get badges, you turn chicken."

Ash let out a light huff through his nose, then turned to Nurse Joy, "Excuse me, can I check the patients' charts to see their injuries?"

"Sure," she replied.

The Pallet Trainer moved to a few of the beds and checked the clipboards hung on the ends. Most cited the injuries as severe electrocution while a Sandshrew had fractured bones and major bruising.

"A powerful Electric-type with decent fighting moves too," he muttered to himself.

Misty made a "hmph" noise at being ignored and a chiming noise caught Nurse Joy's attention. "That signal means your Pokémon have recovered."

Ash nodded, "Thanks."

* * *

The Trainer trio moved back towards the lobby and found Pikachu sitting next to their Poké Balls while munching on an apple.

"Pikachu," Ash called. "I hope you're feeling better. I want to go check out that Gym today."

The front door opened and another Trainer ran in while a Chansey wheeled in a Pidgey. "Please hurry! Just hold on, Pidgey!"

Misty looked at the injured Pokémon worriedly, "I guess they must have come from that Gym."

"Piii!" Pikachu started panicking, but Ash waved a hand, "Don't worry, Pikachu. It's an Electric Gym so your attacks wouldn't be good at taking down Surge's Pokémon, anyway."

The Electric-type felt a small degree of comfort from the reassurance that he wouldn't have to battle. But alongside that, he felt a twinge of disappointment that Ash had already written him off.

Once the Trainers picked up their Pokémon and Pikachu took his place on Ash's shoulder, they made their way to Vermilion Gym, Ash thinking about which Pokémon to use.

"Pidgeotto, Butterfree, Krabby and Squirtle are poor matches. Bulbasaur has his Leech Seed and Poison Powder to sap the opponent's strength, but an Oddish was also in that Poké Center…" he mused. "Charmander has Rage, but I don't want to rely on a move that needs him to get hurt so much… Rattata has Guts and Dig, along with speed from Quick Attack, but I'm not sure. She has the best chance with that Ground-type attack, though…"

'I'm learning Dig too,' Pikachu thought sourly. 'I have Quick Attack, _and_ Agility from Pidgeotto, _and_ resistance to electricity…'

Ash decided that he would pick between the three when he saw which Pokémon Lt. Surge had. They soon arrived at the Gym, a grand building colored in a faded teal with light yellow lightning bolts decorating the front and roof. A blue door with another lightning bolt printed on it stood in a red doorway. Pikachu hopped down from Ash's shoulder once he stopped in front of it.

"So this is the Vermilion City Gym…" Ash noted as they looked up at the imposing décor.

Misty glanced at the Pallet Trainer, "It's not too late to back out."

He let out a sigh as his shoulders sagged slightly. Then he looked over his shoulder with a slight glare, "Misty, I'm really getting sick of you putting me down all the time. Just watch me win this match!"

"I'll watch to see your face when you get creamed," the Cerulean Leader replied with a smirk.

"Oh yeah?" Ash challenged as he took out his Cascade Badge. "If _I'm_ such a lousy Trainer, why do I have the badge from _your_ Gym?"

Misty's smirk fell into a small frown as she took a breath to retort, and Brock awkwardly cut in, "Are we ever going to go inside?"

Ash put the badge back in his jacket before moving forward to open the Gym doors. Pikachu looked back at Misty for a moment before following his Trainer. Brock and Misty followed behind them, the latter somewhat grudgingly.

Once the doors opened with an ominous creak, the Pallet Trainer stepped forward to see two imposing grown-ups, one male with buzzed black hair and a leather jacket with no shirt and the other female with a red muscle shirt and a white headband with a green stripe wrapped through her auburn hair.

"Hello," Ash said, deciding to cut straight to the chase, "I'm here for a Pokémon battle to earn a Thunder Badge."

The man smirked and glanced over his shoulder, "Hey, Boss. Another victim for the emergency room."

Footsteps sounded from the darkness beyond the light from the doorway as a hulking figure started moving forward, asking in a gruff voice, "Which one?"

Once he was visible, Ash looked up at the bear of a man in dark green pants and a matching jacket, also shirtless and with black combat boots and fingerless gloves with imposing studded bracelets. He had tan skin with blond hair spiked up at the top, but otherwise buzzed away. Military tags gleamed in the sun's light as he looked down at the trio with a condescending grin.

"Whoa, he's huge!" Brock whispered.

Misty raised an eyebrow, "Is _he_ the Gym Leader you have to beat?"

Lt. Surge spread his arms in a welcoming gesture before lowering down and pulling Misty into a hug, "Welcome to Vermilion Gym!" Then he pulled away slightly and looked at her, "Oh, my next challenger's a cute one. Don't think I'll go easy on ya."

Misty laughed nervously, "Um, excuse me, but _I'm_ not the challenger…"

"Then who?" Surge asked with raised eyebrows.

Ash pointed to himself with his thumb, "Me, that's who!"

The Gym Leader glanced at him before standing back to his full height and turning to face him, "Oh, you." He patted him on the head, pushing Ash's hat down slightly, "Okay, baby."

Ash growled and pushed the hand away, "I'm no baby! My name's Ash Ketchum!"

"Heh, I call _everybody_ who loses to me 'baby,'" he explained. "Huh?"

At that moment, Surge noticed Pikachu, who tried hard to not seem intimidated as he looked back up at the man.

"Heh! A Pikachu! Hey, look at this! Baby brought along a baby Pokémon!" he told the other two before all three of them burst out laughing. Pikachu only frowned harder and glared.

"Quit it!" Ash demanded. "Why are you making fun of my Pikachu?"

Surge grinned as he took out a Poké Ball, "Oh, I'll show ya why…" He opened it and a Pokémon materialized. It stood around twice Pikachu's height and had orange fur with a white belly and black around its paws and feet. Its ears were yellow on the inside while being black on the back and rims and the new Pokémon had a long black tail with a yellow lightning bolt at the end. One thing Ash immediately noticed was that it had similar round cheek patterns to Pikachu, except that the other Pokémon's were yellow.

"It's a Raichu!" Ash said as he recalled Giselle's explanation of Pikachu's evolved form. He'd checked his Pokédex after that day out of curiosity, so he didn't need to check it now to confirm.

Pikachu glared at the larger Pokémon now while Surge's Pokémon just grinned smugly at Ash. Surge laughed, "Okay, baby, if ya wanna quit, now's your chance." His Raichu chimed in with a cocky "Raichu."

"There's no _way_ we're gonna quit now!" Ash vehemently denied.

"Heh!" Surge scoffed. "What could a baby like that do?" He got down on one knee behind his Raichu and patted him on the head, "If yous wanna become a Pokémon Master, you should make your Pokémon evolve as soon as ya catch it."

The Pallet Trainer frowned, "There's more to raising a Pokémon than forcing them to evolve. And I like this Pikachu just the way he is."

The two other adults laughed and the Gym Leader stood up again, "Wrong, baby." Both he and Raichu waved their fingers, "Electric Pokémon are only useful once they've learned all their different electric attacks. You keep it puny like that and it's no more than a little pet!"

Pikachu growled and electricity sparked on his cheeks. Ash noticed and Pikachu met his eyes before tilting his head towards the Raichu for a brief moment. The Trainer seemed worried for a moment, but furrowed his brow in determination and nodded.

Misty leaned towards Brock and whispered, "Can Pikachu beat Raichu?"

"I seriously doubt it," the breeder answered. "Especially if Raichu knows all the electric attacks."

The Vermilion Leader crossed his arms, talking in a patronizing tone, "Okay, baby, did ya just come here to show us your little pet?"

"I'm here to earn a Thunder Badge!" Ash answered while Pikachu clenched his fists in a fighting stance.

"That's unusual," Brock commented with a raised eyebrow. "Pikachu really seems to want to battle."

Misty shook her head slightly, "I'm not surprised."

Both Raichu and Surge shrugged as the blonde said, "Oh well. I guess you'll learn that playing with the big boys can be a shocking experience."

"I've fought better Trainers and more dangerous people than you," Ash retorted as stadium lights came on to reveal an arena.

For each of the categories the Trainer mentioned, he recalled the battles he most closely associated with them. He lost against AJ but he put up a good fight against a superior opponent and gained a new perspective on training. As for dangerous people…

Ash moved to his side of the arena, reassuring himself, 'You can do this, Ash. This guy's nothing compared to what you've faced. He's just about muscle. And if there's one thing those three have taught me it's that there's more to winning a battle than power.'

Granted, he didn't intend to cheat, but he would play smart and try to lead Pikachu to do the same. He twisted his cap back with a serious expression on his face as he watched Raichu closely.

"The Pokémon battle will now begin," the male adult from earlier announced from a booth at the side of the arena. "Only one Pokémon may be used. The Gym Leader, Lt. Surge has chosen Raichu. The challenger, Ash has chosen Pikachu. No time limit. Let the battle begin."

The sound of a bell rang out and Surge shouted, "Go, Raichu!" The evolved Pokémon leapt out of the Leader's area into the arena proper.

"Pikachu, analyze!" Ash ordered right out of the gate as Pikachu ran forward.

Surge raised an eyebrow at the odd command, but furrowed it again when Pikachu stopped on all fours and shot a Thunder Shock from his cheeks. Raichu kept advancing without flinching and the blonde grinned, "Ya call that an attack? Raichu, show 'em a _real_ shock!"

As his Pokémon charged up mass quantities of electricity in an instant and discharged it towards Pikachu, Surge noticed both Pokémon and Trainer watching the attack closely and Pikachu dodged to the side with a small burst of speed. The ground where Ash's Pokémon _had_ stood took a heavy hit, but Pikachu remained unharmed, having focused on proper footing before launching his own attack.

After Ash's battle at Pokémon Tech with Giselle, he noticed that Pikachu had managed to work out Cubone's weakness of his skull and bone club simply by dodging and watching. So he started training all of his Pokémon to concentrate on being ready to dodge over anything else when he ordered them to "analyze." Attacking came second, only to see how an opponent reacted and to try finding any weak points.

"What?" Surge blinked in surprise before furrowing his brow again. "Raichu, give it another Thunder Shock!"

This time, Pikachu skirted near the bolts, allowing him to charge closer and Surge saw an opportunity to surprise the Pokémon.

"Mega Kick!" he ordered.

Raichu moved to kick Pikachu, but then the smaller Pokémon moved with even more speed than before. Circling around faster than the eye could see with Agility, Pikachu used Quick Attack on Raichu's back. The impact caused the larger Pokémon to overbalance and fall forward, giving Pikachu more than enough time to get away with another burst of Agility.

"Raichu!" Surge shouted in shock as Raichu got up, but looked thoroughly angry and embarrassed. Pikachu returned to Ash's side and they smiled at each other.

Behind Ash, Misty watched with her eyes wide with surprise. "What's going on?" she wondered incredulously. "Ash is making Surge and Raichu look like a joke!"

Brock raised his eyebrow as a thought occurred to him, "Wait… Didn't Surge say that he evolved his Raichu right after he caught it?" He hit his fist into his other hand, "That's it! Raichu evolved too fast and didn't learn any of the speed moves it can only learn in the Pikachu stage."

"Wait," Misty said while turning to Brock, "then that means-"

* * *

"Surge's Raichu can't lay a finger on Pikachu," James commented with a chuckle.

The two had been out shopping for at least _some_ supplies to replace what that Squirtle had destroyed. They had noticed the Gym and figured that Ash would be in there by now.

"Well, the twerp deals with _us_ on a regular basis," Jessie pointed out with an arrogant smirk. "It'd be _shameful_ if he couldn't outwit the big, blonde caveman."

They looked back in and the male agent laughed at Surge and Raichu's expressions, "Ooh, someone's getting _mad_."

* * *

The Pallet Trainer called out to his opponent, "Your Raichu is way too slow, Surge! That's its weakness!"

"Raichu, Body Slam!" the Leader shouted.

His Pokémon ran forward and jumped, aiming to crush Pikachu, but his target just flitted away, also dodging the tail swipe that he used in an effort to trip him up. The process repeated twice more before Surge growled and clenched his fist.

"Okay, Raichu! Give it a Thunderbolt! Shut it _down_!" he ordered.

Raichu charged up an even larger amount of electricity than before in a few seconds and shot it in all directions. Giant bolts carved up the ground and shattered multiple windows in the Gym. Unseen by the people inside, two forms by a window hurriedly ducked to avoid the shock.

Surge shielded his face from the dust and smoke before lowering his arm with a smirk, "The end o' the match." But when the smoke cleared, he blinked in surprise as he saw only a hole in the arena where Pikachu had been.

"What?! Where'd it go?" he demanded.

Raichu looked around as well, but then the ground in front of him cracked and Pikachu shot out like a missile to head butt the larger Pokémon right in the forehead. Raichu got knocked to the ground on his back while Pikachu bounced off and landed on all fours, shaking his head clear, but hardly winded.

Ash cheered, "All right, Pikachu! Looks like you've got Dig down!"

* * *

"Hm, that could be a problem later," Jessie noted.

James agreed with a nod, "Pitfall traps won't do anything more than inconvenience the twerps for a few seconds now."

"Ya wanna hear what's inconvenient?" a new voice asked irritatedly. "Bein' stuck doin' all da work while _you two_ watch da show!"

The two agents perked up and wheeled around to see Mankey and Meowth standing with a new toolbox and a bag full of crafting supplies respectively.

"Meowth! Quit slackin'!" the Scratch Cat Pokémon chastised. "We're already on thin ice wit' da Boss. Ya think we need _anotha_ reason fer him ta chew us out? Getcher halves o' da list so we can get back ta work for da operation!"

The two agents looked at each other and nodded before rushing off to buy food for travel and secure some raw materials to remake their bazookas and begin work on some of their other inventions.

* * *

With great difficulty, Raichu managed to sit up and clutched his head as he pulled himself to his feet. Pikachu got ready to move again, and Surge ordered, "Raichu, give it another Thunderbolt!"

Raichu tried charging up again, but got no more than a few sparks before it fizzled out. He tried again, and when he failed, Surge frantically said, "Do _something_!"

"It's over," Brock commented with a smile. "Raichu ran out of electricity." Misty just stood there in surprise.

"All right! Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Ash ordered.

Surge growled, "Raichu, Take Down, now!"

Raichu tried to grab Pikachu so he could drive the smaller Pokémon into the ground, but Pikachu darted through his reach and rammed into his chest, driving him back a few steps. Then Ash's Pokémon charged some electricity into his tail and swung it around, hitting Raichu in the side of the face with a Slam attack. The Leader's Pokémon teetered with a disoriented "Raiiichuuuu…" and toppled over, falling unconscious.

"Unbelievable!" the Vermilion Leader shouted with his hands clutching the sides of his face. Raichu moaned tiredly in response.

Ash grinned, "We did it, Pikachu!"

"Way to go!" Brock cheered.

Pikachu smiled and said, "Pikachu!"

Misty on the other hand, felt like Ash kept getting further ahead. She'd never admit it, but she still hadn't gotten over the fact that he beat her in Cerulean Gym. She kept telling herself that Ash had cheated by washing Staryu and Goldeen out of the pool. Misty had figured that he'd lose if Surge didn't use any special terrain.

But he'd won, simply by ordering Pikachu to dodge and watch for any flaws in his opponent's battling.

'That was a fluke,' she denied. 'He wouldn't stand a chance against a fully developed Raichu. And in an actual Water Pokémon battle, I'd beat him any day of the week!'

* * *

After Surge spent a bit of time putting some bandages on four bruises formed on Raichu's forehead, back, stomach and cheek, he went over to Ash.

"Congratulations," he said with a sporting smile. "Nice job, Ash, Pikachu." Then he reached into the right chest pocket of his jacket, "As proof of your victory, a Thunder Badge."

Ash took the sun-shaped badge from the lieutenant's hand, "Thank you." He looked at it in his hand with a smile as Surge said, "You should be proud. You and your Pikachu really fought good together!"

"Thanks!" The Pallet Trainer grinned, "We did it, Pikachu! We got the Thunder Badge!"

Pikachu held up a peace sign with a happy "Pi-Pikachu!"

Surge clapped along with the two other adults as he congratulated, "Nice victory, Ash. You're no baby."

"Congratulations, Ash, Pikachu," Brock cheered while clapping.

Misty started clapping as well, but she didn't say anything.

Raichu clapped as well, and Pikachu scratched the back of his head with a sheepish apology for injuring him. Then Ash picked him up and pulled him into a hug over his shoulder.

"Thank you, Pikachu!" he said while nuzzling the Electric-type. "This was _your_ victory!"

Pikachu grinned and let out a small discharge of electricity from sheer happiness. Ash felt a slight tingling, but it didn't hurt much, so he kept up the hug, him and Pikachu laughing.

* * *

The Rocket trio walked back to their temporary quarters, bogged down by their new supplies under the afternoon sun. Jessie had several raw materials such as metal, hard rubber and small planks of lumber and James had four paper bags filled with groceries, having called back Mankey with the promise of some rice balls for helping Meowth earlier. The two of them had given their Pokémon companion a blow-by-blow account of what had happened in the Gym battle.

"Huh," Meowth said. "We'll hafta watch out fer underground attacks now, and fer our own pitfalls bein' used against us."

James nodded, "That Pikachu really _is_ special."

"That's why it's worth snatching," Jessie added.

"Hey," the feline agent reminded them. "Focus on our _current_ mission fer now. We can go after Pikachu another time."

They walked in companionable silence for a moment, before James stopped, looking like he had an epiphany. Jessie and Meowth glanced back at him with a questioning grunt and the blue-haired agent slowly smiled.

"Say," he ventured, "the point of our current assignment is to lure powerful Trainers in so that we can steal their Pokémon, right?"

"Yeah, what's yer…?" Meowth trailed off as he grinned as well.

Jessie caught on as well and smirked, "Well, well, looks like we can do both. Whether it's us or some other operative who does the job, all Pokémon caught are for the glory of Team Rocket and the Boss."

* * *

After booking a room for the night at the Pokémon Center, Ash let his friends know that he'd be taking a look around Vermilion City himself.

"Why?" Brock asked out of curiosity.

Ash shrugged, "Shop around a little, and see if I can find anything useful to buy. Also, this is a port town, so it'd be ideal for training Squirtle and Krabby both on land and in the water."

"Oh?" Misty asked while keeping her face neutral. "And why do you need to train in the water? That's my specialty."

"What if we get separated while fighting Team Rocket?" he asked in response. "It could happen, and I'd like my Pokémon to be prepared."

"Well, I _guess_ that's true…" she begrudgingly replied.

Ash raised an eyebrow, "Misty, are you feeling okay?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be fine?" the Cerulean Leader violently protested. Then she shouldered her backpack, "I'm going shopping!"

Once she left, Ash turned to his remaining friend, "What do you think her problem is?"

" _I_ think that what we need to do is give her some space," Brock replied. "Go ahead and explore, just be sure to be back by curfew."

* * *

"That Ash must be feeling so smug about his win at Vermilion Gym!" Misty grumbled as she stormed through the city.

Even though she said she would go shopping, the Cerulean Leader was in too bad a mood to actually do that. Her feet wound up carrying her to one of the harbors, an ideal place to train her Pokémon. But she turned around and started heading back to the city.

"I don't need-"

" _Congratulations~!_ "

Two party poppers shot confetti and streamers into her face and she looked up in surprise to see two tan-skinned girls in high school uniforms consisting of a collared white shirt, a beige vest and a navy skirt with knee-high white socks and black shoes. One had blonde hair to her shoulders and the other had strawberry blonde hair styled into a long curl down to the small of her back.

" _You are WAY lucky~! You can go on a super deluxe sea cruuuuuise~!_ " they said in a celebratory cry.

"A sea cruise?" Misty repeated in surprise.

The two of them stepped forward, the long-haired girl in front while holding a ticket, "Well, it's like, you know, we have this incredible super-cool ticket for you!"

" _Cool~!_ " her blonde friend chimed in.

She held the ticket up to Misty, "Cool, huh? This is a ticket to the _biggest_ party ever, onboard the St. Anne cruise liner!"

"The _famous_ St. Anne?" the Trainer asked in shock.

" _Cool~!_ "

"The _coolest_ ship on the sea!" the ticket holder enthused. " _Everybody's_ going to be together and, like, have the coolest party!"

" _Cool~!_ "

"And the party's for Pokémon Trainers _only_ ~!"

" _Cool~!_ "

"Coming tomorrow~!"

" _He-he-he-hee~!_ "

"It'll be a radical party! All of the most _radical_ Trainers will be there!"

'Who says "radical" anymore?' Misty wondered.

The strawberry blonde girl offered the ticket to Misty, "Okay, dudette, here's your pass!"

"Uh, I'd love to go on a cruise, but I'm traveling with some other people right now, and I can't really afford it," Misty hesitantly replied.

"Whoa! Like, you don't understand!" the high schooler said.

" _Cool~!_ "

"It's a group pass for up to five radical Trainers, and it's totally free!"

Misty blinked, "Huh?"

"Totally free!" she repeated before spelling it out. " _To-tal-ly FREE~!_ "

"Why are you giving them away?" the redhead asked.

"Uh, like, we have to go out with our boyfriends," the other girl answered awkwardly, "and we wanted to give our ticket to a _cool_ Pokémon fan!"

" _Cool~!_ "

"We saw you and thought you looked really cool!" she held out the ticket again. "Just take this and have a cool time!"

Misty took the offered ticket with a smile, forgetting her frustration for now, "Thanks a lot!"

"No sweat!" the high school girl answered.

" _Cool~!_ "

"Have a nice day, for sure! Now, we're already late to meet our boyfriends!"

The two girls ran off towards the city and Misty smiled, "This _is_ cool! Wait 'til Ash and Brock hear about this!"

* * *

Jessie and James watched from some nearby bushes, smiling at their successful act.

"We did it!" the female agent quietly celebrated. "We got them!"

Her cross-dressing partner looked over with his chin resting in his hand, still talking in his girl voice, " _Wow, don't I make, like, the COOLEST girl~?_ "

Jessie growled and hit him with a hammer from nowhere, causing him to shout in pain.

" _Ah~!_ "

"Knock off the airhead routine!" she ordered. "Let's get back to the hideout and grab our actual disguises to keep giving out tickets!"

"Ow…" James moaned in his regular voice as Jessie dragged him off.

* * *

Ash treaded water with a new rebreather over his mouth and nose. It had cost him the majority of his savings to buy, but it was more than worth it in his mind, since he still had enough to buy Potions and other medicines for a good while. In addition, he could coach his Pokémon directly while training them in underwater combat.

Wearing his swimsuit, he spoke through the mask's speaker, his voice warbled, but clearly recognizable, "Squirtle, try again. Torpedo Kick!"

The Tiny Turtle Pokémon swam low and pointed his legs towards Krabby, curling up before kicking out while firing a Water Gun from his mouth. The water warbled in his wake, but the move lost momentum before impacting, doing little against the crustacean's hard shell.

The Pallet Trainer crossed his arms, "Hmm, no luck… Still, you managed to learn Mega Kick on the surface; we'll just have to wait until you get a stronger move for more speed to use it underwater. And you taught Krabby Water Gun while you learned Bubble Beam. And Krabby, you learned Crabhammer, so I'd say it's been a good day of training for both of you. You two want to keep going, or stop?"

The two Water Pokémon looked at each other and turned back to Ash before pointing up. Ash nodded and the three of them swam up. Once they breached the surface, they swam back towards the pier where Pikachu waited. The Electric Pokémon drank juice from a plastic cup with a bendy straw as he watched the setting sun.

Ash let Krabby stand on his shoulders while he and Squirtle climbed up the ladder. Once there, he grabbed their Poké Balls from the pile of clothes and said, "Good fighting, you two. As long as we're crossing the sea to the next Gym, I'll keep you two on so that we can keep training and you can get a chance to battle too. You two take a good rest before tomorrow."

The Trainer had used his Pokédex to send Rattata and Charmander back to Professor Oak's lab after conferring with his Pokémon to decide who tagged out. Rattata because she had learned plenty already and Charmander because he didn't feel comfortable doing any battling near large bodies of water.

He shook his hair clear and dried off with a towel on loan from a booth near the pier. Once he felt he was dry enough, he put his clothes on over his swimsuit and headed back with Pikachu walking alongside him as he re-packed his rebreather and shouldered his backpack. Ash also made sure to drop the towel off in the hamper next to the booth with a "thank you" to the man running it. Pikachu jumped and threw his cup into a trash can as well.

By the time he reached the Pokémon Center, night had fallen, but he knew that it was still well before the eleven o' clock curfew. When he walked through the doors, he saw Misty and Brock waiting for him with grins.

Ash raised an eyebrow, "Guys? Did something happen while I was gone?"

"I got a ticket for a party aboard the St. Anne!" Misty gleefully shouted.

It took a moment for the statement to register before the Pallet Trainer blinked, "How long was I out? Things like that really happen?"

"Two girls had a ticket to a party for Pokémon Trainers, but had to cancel at the last minute," Brock explained with a smile. "So they gave their pass to Misty. It's good for all three of us!"

"Really?! That sounds awesome!" Ash cheered.

Misty nodded, "Doesn't it? We'll be going to board the St. Anne tomorrow!"

After a light dinner, the three Trainers went to sleep with high hopes for tomorrow.

* * *

 **Glad to have finally gotten this done! Sorry for the long wait.**

 **I hope that you all like the chapter and don't mind the changes I made to the Vermilion Gym battle. But Ash has fallen for too many traps to Leeroy Jenkins into a battle with a powerful opponent. He also trained his Pokémon much more seriously than in canon and already had Pikachu learning speed moves like Quick Attack and Agility, so he didn't have to let Pikachu take a beating before he could do that. After dodging a few strikes, it should become clear that Raichu couldn't keep up and the battle progressed from there.**

 **Anyway, those that watched the show should know what's coming next, but will it be the same? Find out next time!**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	12. Chapter 12: Coastal Crisis!

**I got this chapter done sooner because I wanted it to be done without holding the readers of this fic in suspense for the usual length of time. Also, a new feature.**

 **Review Responses:**

 **RamenKnight: Thank you, it's been my pleasure to write this, and I'm glad that it's well received. As for Misty's attitude smoothing out, well, I suppose just wait and see.**

 **Now, on with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 12: Coastal Crisis!

The next day, Ash and co. got up bright and early to leave for the harbor where Misty had received the pass. The redhead took the lead with her ticket, looking around at the multitude of giant ships docked that day.

"I wonder which one of these ships is the St. Anne," Ash muttered.

She spotted one of the larger cruise liners and said, "I think that's it."

The trio turned and saw a massive white ship with red toward the bottom of its hull, multiple floors stacked atop the deck with the chimney colored navy blue. They marveled at the truly impressive ship.

* * *

Nearby, from further down the harbor, Jessie stood in a fancy uniform, a royal blue and red tailcoat complete with light blue pants and black boots to compliment it. Gold buttons decorated the coat to highlight the other colors. She watched with a smirk as her least favorite Trainers stared before the St. Anne.

Meanwhile, James wore a similar uniform, grinning hugely as he held a ticket before another person, a man with a coonskin cap. "You see, the St. Anne is celebrating its 50th Anniversary by holding a Trainer-exclusive cruise party! And the ticket is complimentary, allowing up to five Trainers, so feel free to bring your friends!"

"Awesome!" the man took the ticket and walked off towards the St. Anne.

Both of the agents waved with big smiles until the man no longer looked at them.

James nodded, "That's the last ticket."

"Let's report in," Jessie added.

After sneaking to a lighthouse concealed among the trees, they ignored the boarded front door and Jessie moved aside a small square of the surface to reveal a keypad set in metal. Jessie punched in the code and a hatch opened in the ground, lifting a bush that rested atop it. The underside of said hatch even had a cylindrical divot filled with soil to have the greenery legitimately planted, so nobody investigated a fake plant near an "abandoned" lighthouse. **(1)**

The two Rocket grunts walked down the stairs, James idly hitting a button that would seamlessly move the hatch back into place. Down below, they met Meowth who stood by the communication hub and their Pokémon, who were finishing their breakfast prepared by James earlier, their favorites thrown in alongside regular Pokémon food. The team cook wanted every one of their Pokémon to have all their energy.

The trio knew and had told Giovanni that the Trainers onboard the St. Anne likely wouldn't go down easy, especially once they told him their idea to invite Ash's group so they could steal his Pokémon too. So they and the other grunts had brought battle-ready Pokémon along with the design of their Poké-Plucker augmented further to restrain and capture any opponent Pokémon.

Meowth noticed their entry and waved for them to join him at the console. They did so, along with their Pokémon behind them, and he explained, "We got a call from da Boss."

The feline agent pressed a button, and Giovanni appeared onscreen, sitting in his chair while regarding the trio.

"Greetings, sir," Meowth greeted formally.

Giovanni nodded, speaking with his voice distorted by the transmission, in case anybody listened in, "So, the team's all there?"

The trio stood at attention, their Pokémon trained to do the same as they confirmed with a "Sir!"

After that, another feline Pokémon sauntered onscreen. A Persian, the evolved form of Meowth leaned his head towards Giovanni, where the leader started absentmindedly petting him.

Meowth raised an eyebrow with a smile, "What's up, top cat? Been a while since I've seen ya on da horn."

Giovanni's Pokémon meowed a casual greeting to the smaller Pokémon and operative. The two met when Meowth had first applied to be a Rocket agent. At first, Meowth didn't really like Persian, due to past experiences with the species. But he managed to get over it relatively quickly once he accepted that the two were different from each other. The feline agent wouldn't go so far as to call them friends, but they shared a mutual loyalty to Giovanni while expressing it in different ways.

The leader let out a single low chuckle at the two felines' interaction before saying in a firm tone, "This isn't a social call. You have finished handing out all of the tickets to the St. Anne cruise, I trust?"

Regardless of his tone, Meowth knew the Boss favored them just a little bit more with his connection to Persian. If he didn't, he would've phrased the question differently, asking to make sure instead of presuming that they had finished. The "I trust" part was telling to the feline in that regard.

"Yes," Jessie nodded with a smirk. "All of the Pokémon Trainers were _delighted_ to take them."

"Was it _really_ all right for us to give out all those tickets for free?" James asked.

"A small price to pay for what I'll get in return," Giovanni dismissed. "My men have already secretly boarded the St. Anne and set up our fail-safe should the Trainers send out Pokémon of their own. They will take the Pokémon of all the Trainers we tricked into boarding the ship."

Meowth grinned, "Dat's da Boss for ya! A real genius!"

"This time, failure is out of the question," he warned.

Jessie and James stood at attention again, "Aye-aye, sir!"

"We can do it!" Meowth reassured.

Giovanni grinned while Persian gave an approving nod to Meowth's confidence.

* * *

Ash looked around the St. Anne, which seemed even bigger up close than from a distance as they boarded the ramp.

"What an awesome ship!" he commented in awe.

Misty smiled, "I'd like to travel around the whole _world_ in this!" She held up the ticket to a brown-haired clerk wearing the same red and blue uniform of the ship's crew.

"Welcome aboard the St. Anne!" he greeted amicably with a bow. Then he pointed to the inside of the ship proper, "This way."

They continued and went into a large ballroom sized chamber with two staircases at the back leading to a balcony around the upper wall, leading to other chambers of the ship. Even with the massive space, nearly its entirety was occupied by Trainers both juvenile and adult.

"Wow!" Ash marveled, looking around at the sheer number of people chatting and the various stalls lined up. "Look at this!"

They walked through the stalls and Misty saw a table that offered various Pokémon dolls and key chains, "It's so cute!"

"It's like a giant Pokémon convention," Ash added.

Misty noticed two boys comparing their Charmanders, "Everyone's a Pokémon Trainer!"

Ash continued looking around, not paying the other two Trainers any mind as he wandered off. He was hardly concerned with whose Charmander was stronger than another; he only trained to make sure his Pokémon could beat Team Rocket.

A crowd of people gathering around a battle about to start, however, _did_ catch his attention.

"All right! Bring 'em on!" the referee called.

Ash started shouldering his way to the front of the crowd right as Brock and Misty noticed that he'd left. Once through, he saw a man dressed in a black tailcoat and top hat with blue pants and a red bow tie facing down a brunette trainer with a green polo shirt and jeans. The man had a Raticate on his side while the younger Trainer had a Starmie.

"Raticate, Hi-Jump Kick!" the senior battler ordered. **(2)**

The younger retaliated, "Alright, Starmie, spinning Tackle!"

Raticate ran forward before leaping into the air while Starmie span around, flying to meet the Mouse Pokémon. As the two clashed in the air, Ash took out his Pokédex to identify Raticate while Misty and Brock barely caught up to his position.

 ** _"_** ** _Raticate, the Mouse Pokémon. The evolved form of Rattata. It whittles its constantly growing fangs by gnawing on hard things. It can even chew apart cinder walls with ease."_**

Ash looked up just in time for the man to order, "Raticate, Super Fang attack!" The rat lunged forward, biting into Starmie's gem until he bit a small chunk out, shattering a portion of the gem while cracking the rest and causing Starmie to pass out.

The boy gasped while a sign that said "WIN" glowed over the Raticate Trainer's head.

"Ah, don't feel too badly, young man," he consoled while the boy checked his Pokémon. "It was only a practice match, anyhow, and I just happened to be lucky."

As a brunette woman in a magenta dress came forward to compliment the victor, Ash thought about whether or not to step up next.

"Well now," the gentleman called, "is anybody else brave enough to challenge my Raticate?"

Fired up from the challenge, Ash clenched his fists in excitement, "I can't wait!" He ran to where the other boy had left from his side of the arena while taking out a Poké Ball, "How about a battle against my Butterfree?"

"As you wish," the man agreed readily enough.

Misty rolled her eyes at Ash's enthusiasm, "I hope he knows what he's doing."

* * *

"Say Jessie," James whispered as the two of them served drinks disguised as the ship's staff, "this place is packed!"

Jessie smirked and quietly agreed, "Yes, and packed with Pokémon!"

"And soon all of these Pokémon will contribute to the glory of Team Rocket!" James quietly grinned.

* * *

"Raticate, Hi-Jump Kick!" Ash's opponent ordered. Raticate rushed forward and jumped high before descending towards Butterfree foot-first.

Ash smiled, having expected the swift opening move, "Throw 'em off with a Flutter, then Supersonic!"

Butterfree beat his wings a few times, changing Raticate's trajectory with the semi-strong wind generated, allowing Butterfree to dodge the attack while the Mouse Pokémon crashed. While he recovered, the bug's antennae vibrated and sent sound waves that confused Raticate.

Brock chuckled a bit while addressing Misty, "I guess that answers your question. Butterfree was a good choice on Ash's part."

"Well anyone can win when they've seen the opponent fight before the actual battle," the redhead justified.

"Now," Ash continued, "a Whirlwind-"

Raticate got picked up by his Trainer, and the man interrupted, "Well, that's enough."

"Huh?" Both Butterfree and Ash stopped in surprise at his stepping onto the ring.

The gentleman held Raticate as he said, "Why don't we just call it a draw?"

He left before Ash could reply and the Pallet Trainer grumbled, "But I was winning."

* * *

James walked through the sales booths with his hands folded behind his back, tray gone, since they were out of port now and keeping up the disguise didn't matter as much. If anybody asked, he could just say that he was off to the kitchen to get a new tray.

"Boy! Boy!" a voice called from one of the stalls. "Hey you, boy! Come here!"

The disguised agent glanced at the tanned salesman wearing white clothes and a headband before turning to face him, "Are you addressing me?"

"I want you to have a look at this Pokémon!" the merchant said with a grin as he pointed to a tank built into his counter.

James did so, bending down to look in the tank, and saw a rather large red fish swimming around. It looked at him back with the typical open-eyed expression a fish has as it floated in the tank with its white fins. Along with those characteristics, the (James assumed) Water Pokémon had tan whiskers that extended near its pink lips and similar colored spines on its back and belly.

"What is this thing?"

"The king of all carp, a Magikarp," the stall runner stated reverently.

James stood back up, looking at the salesman, "What do I do? Eat it?"

"Heheheh!" the man chuckled in response as he hefted the Magikarp out of the water. "See how heavy it is?" He handed the Pokémon to James.

Having gone through the physical training, he had no trouble bearing the weight, but Magikarp started thrashing about, forcing James to concentrate on maintaining his grip.

"Oh! It certainly _is_ lively!" he commented.

"Just between you and me," the salesman whispered, "this Magikarp is a Pokémon gold mine! A Magikarp lays one thousand eggs at a time…"

He continued his explanation, but in reality James had already tuned him out. If any Pokémon could create so many of its kind with its basic reproduction, its value would be dirt cheap. The relatively simple law of supply and demand dictated that.

'But…' James thought as he regarded the still thrashing fish, 'a Pokémon's a Pokémon.'

The salesman noticed that he wasn't really paying him any attention and called, "Hey, boy? Are you listening? This is a once-in-a-lifetime offer!"

"I heard you," James said while petting Magikarp, who calmed down slightly. "But I don't think I could bear to part with Magikarp." He didn't bother calling the man out on his spiel, since he still wanted to buy the Pokémon, and ruining the con wouldn't help his chances. "If this Pokémon can fight with the same energy as it thrashes, it'll be a valuable ally. I'll take it."

Meanwhile, Magikarp stopped thrashing, both from the affection and the belief that James had in him.

The conman decided that, while not the usual reason for his marks buying, a sale was a sale. So he continued, "I normally charge a hundred dollars. But for you I'll throw in- Geh?!"

The man got interrupted as James grabbed his collar and pulled him over the counter with a smile that didn't reach his eyes while holding Magikarp under his other arm. After having to help replace most of their supplies from the Squirtle Incident, biting a huge chunk out of all three of their savings accounts in the process, he didn't feel like being swindled.

Still smiling, James coldly warned, "Don't push your luck, _hombre_ , I just want the Pokémon. Fifty, you said?"

"Y-yeah! Fifty is fine!"

The agent released him, squinting happily, "Good!" After he handed over the cash and received Magikarp's Poké Ball, colored gold instead of the standard red and white, James turned to leave while the conman caught his breath.

"Oh, one more thing…"

The salesman froze up for a bit as James looked over his shoulder. The agent looked serious as he said, "You might want to work on that sales pitch. More Pokémon doesn't equal more money. It's simple economics; the more common a Pokémon, the more its value goes down. You ought to work on that."

With that, the blue-haired boy left and the Magikarp salesman rapidly packed up his stall to leave the ship.

* * *

After participating in a few more battles, swapping between Butterfree, Squirtle and Krabby, Ash left with his friends to go try some of the food at the catering tables. It only took one bite for each of them before they started scarfing down the luxurious meals. Ash had meat, Misty had cake and Brock had sandwiches while Pikachu had top grade Pokémon food.

The gentleman Trainer from earlier walked up to their table with the same woman from before, "So, are you having yourself a good time?"

"Yes, sir!" Ash replied happily. "We're having a great time!"

The man nodded, "You know, that Butterfree of yours is quite extraordinary!"

"It's incredible," the brunette woman added. Brock's face lit up with a blush as he stared at her, "She's beautiful…"

Misty waved a hand in front of his face, "Hel- _lo_ in there?"

Ash smiled at the compliment, "Well, I put a lot of work into raising him."

"What'd you think of my Raticate?" the gentleman asked.

"It looked great," Ash replied. "I never heard of a Raticate learning a Hi-Jump Kick; you must have trained it well to teach it that."

"In that case I'll be direct," the adult said. "Why don't we trade?"

Ash raised an eyebrow, "Trade Pokémon?"

"When two people find that they each like the other's Pokémon, they trade," he explained. "It's quite a common practice everywhere."

Adjusting his hat, Ash thought about how to answer.

The gentleman continued, "You see, friends who trade can trade with their other friends, and so friendships grow deeper and continue to spread wider and wider. Trading and making new friends is one of the best things about having Pokémon. That's how Pokémon friendships get to spread all around the world."

"Friendship is wonderful, isn't it?" the woman asked.

While Brock agreed vocally about her opinion, Ash bowed his head slightly, "Well, thank you for the offer, but I already have a Rattata that can evolve into a Raticate, if she wants. Also, Butterfree is the first Pokémon I ever caught, so I don't really feel right trading him away."

"I understand," the gentleman said with a nod. "Thank you for hearing me out, at least."

They left and Ash stood up from the table, intent on finding another battle arena to give his other Pokémon a chance to battle.

* * *

"You _idiot_!" Jessie chastised. "Can't you see you were tricked?!"

"What a dope!" Meowth added.

The Rocket trio stood out of the way in a far corner, where Jessie had dragged James after finding out that he'd bought Magikarp. James held up the golden Poké Ball (gold-plated; he could tell the difference since he came from a wealthy family) and argued his case.

"What matters is that we _need_ more Pokémon for ourselves," he explained. "Now one shows up offered to me on a silver platter, and you're going to criticize how I spend my money?"

Jessie raised an eyebrow, "Magikarp is a no-talent Pokémon that can't do anything but flop around! What made you think buying it was a good idea?"

"A Pokémon's a Pokémon," James insisted. "And I can always train it."

"Da best thing dat fish's good for is as a club!" Meowth countered.

"Then I'll make it the best club it can be!" the male agent vowed in retort.

* * *

Back at Team Rocket's headquarters, Giovanni watched the different portions of the ship on four screens, making sure that everyone was in the main ballroom. Centering all of the food, stall reservations and arenas in there helped guarantee that the passengers would gravitate to and stay in that location.

Giovanni chuckled while Persian purred under his petting, "It won't be long now."

His Pokémon looked at the screens and screeched, sending the signal to the grunts in position onboard the ship.

* * *

All of the doors leading out closed and the curtains drew over the exits to the outer balconies. Everybody looked around in confusion before the ship's waiters all tore off their uniforms, revealing the black and gray uniforms of Team Rocket, red R's imprinted on their blazers. Each of them also wore one of the standard issue Vacuum Packs for stealing Poké Balls.

After the reveal, the lights went out until one shone on Jessie and James, both wearing Vacuum Packs as well while standing on a table, differing from the other grunts with their white and purple uniforms. They stood back-to-back and recited the motto.

"To protect the world from devastation,"

"To unite all peoples within our nation,"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love,"

"To extend our reach to the stars above,"

"Jessie!"  
"James!"

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

Meowth leaped up on the table from the darkness with an artful flip, "Meowth, dat's right!"

"Team Rocket will now take possession of your Pokémon!" Jessie called.

As the passengers murmured confusedly, the grunts moved forward and activated their vacuums, sucking up several Poké Balls from nearby Trainers.

Meanwhile, one grunt held out his hand, expecting Ash and his friends to be intimidated as he ordered, "Gimme your Pokémon!"

"No way!" Misty refused.

Another grunt got right behind Ash, who glared, "Don't make me take 'em!"

"PIKACHU!" Ash ordered. The Electric Pokémon shocked the grunt with a Thunderbolt, leaving him moaning in pain on the ground. "If you're gonna try to rob our Pokémon, we might as well make it a battle!"

The passengers started rallying around Ash and threw their Poké Balls out.

Jessie smiled and commanded, "Suck up as many as you can before they're released!"

The grunts grinned and did so, managing to get a good portion before the rest of the spheres released their Pokémon. More and more came out as Trainers answered the call to battle.

Once Meowth saw that, he took a deep breath and alerted the rest of Team Rocket by shouting "POKÉMON BATTLE!"

All of the vacuums turned off at once and Team Rocket released their own Pokémon. Beedrill made up a large bulk of their army, with others from Pokémon Tech supplementing. The leading trio's Pokémon also jumped into the brawl as well, save for Fearow, who Jessie wanted to keep in reserve, and Magikarp, since he was too weak right now.

At Meowth's signal, two hatches in the floor opened upward and a massive iron box with both large and small doors built in on all sides also rose up out of the room's floor.

* * *

Ash, Misty and Brock stared down the army of Pokémon with Team Rocket. Brock urged, "We've gotta fight them together!"

"Pikachu, go!" Ash ordered.

Pikachu ran forward, joining together with several other Pikachu that leaped over the balcony to the lower floor. They stacked up into a pyramid before they all released a massive charge of electricity.

But before any bolts reached the grunts or enemy Pokémon, they got drawn away towards James, who held up a new Zap Sapper. The gun absorbed the massive charge, and he pressed a new button and slipped out a cartridge, replacing it with a different one in the same motion, absorbing more electricity into the replacement.

Ash's eyes widened, "Pikachu, stop!"

"Thanks for the fuel, twerp!" Jessie taunted as the electricity stopped. "Beedrill, Pin Missile!"

Jessie's Beedrill led the rest in a swarm and they all held up their stingers towards all the Pikachu.

"Zubat, Whirlwind!" Brock ordered. His joined a flock of others and they collectively blew the attack away, making the needles clatter harmlessly against the walls and floor.

The gentleman trainer held one of his own Poké Balls out, "Squirtle, go!"

"You too, Squirtle!" Ash urged as he released his own.

Four Squirtles gathered up while Ash's led them, and they sprayed Water Guns all over the place, soaking a few of the Beedrills' wings and bringing them down to the ground.

One of the grunts ordered, "Electrode, Thunderbolt!"

A red and white spherical Pokémon rolled forward and released bolts of electricity at the Squirtles, forcing them to scatter. As they did so, Zubats, Beedrill and Pidgeotto all fought in the sky, along with two Fearow and a Scyther.

As the battle raged on all through the ballroom, the metal box opened some of its doors, revealing robotic hands on flexible metal arms with camera lenses in their palms.

Ash quickly recognized them and called, "Pikachu, return!"

Pikachu hurriedly jumped off the pile and headed back to Ash's side with Agility, outrunning the hand while two others grabbed a Pikachu each. At his Trainer's prompting, he jumped to Ash's chest for the boy to zip his jacket closed, so as to prevent him from getting grabbed.

All of the Charmanders onboard tried to melt the box with a group Flamethrower, but a Ponyta materialized from his ball in the way. The fire swirled around him until his mane and tail grew several times brighter. **(3)** A female grunt stood beside him, smirking, "No dice."

The Charmanders dodged the hands, attempting to hit the metal arms with individual Flamethrowers. Meanwhile, Ponyta began attacking the various Grass-types and Butterfree that tried to hit their opponents with powders, his flames burning white instead of orange as he used Flamethrower.

"Bulbasaur! Leech Seed!"

The Bulbasaurs rallied and shot several seeds at the opposing Pokémon, hitting a few Beedrill, a Nidorino and Electrode. But their Trainers simply recalled them, dropping the sapping ivy to the ground and then called them back out, a little tired, but otherwise unharmed.

"Geodude!" Brock and several other Trainers ordered. The Rock Pokémon gathered up, joining hands in a ring and spinning around as they barreled towards the opposing side. A Graveler jumped in their way, catching the group with all four arms and skidding back slightly before throwing them back. The smaller Pokémon broke apart from their formation, but Graveler had let his guard down and got caught by two Squirtles' Water Guns. Even so, with his resistance, he turned around and engaged them next, picking up one of the toppled tables and throwing it.

The mechanical hands caught hold of any Pokémon that let their guard down for too long, snatching an Oddish, a female Nidoran and Raticate along with several others. And any Trainers that tried returning their Pokémon got them sucked up by the Vacuum Packs.

"Vine Whip!"

Several vines flew from the Bulbasaur and other Grass Pokémon such as Bellsprout and Tangela, tangling up several of the Pokémon before slamming them around. Ponyta came in with a Flamethrower, forcing them to retract the appendages or get set on fire, but several Geodude latched on, weighing him down heedless of the flames and stoically taking the residual water as Water Guns hosed down the Fire Horse Pokémon's head.

The remaining Beedrill combed through the ranks, preventing any Pokémon from grouping up and poisoning any unwitting opponents with Twineedle. But they ran into a problem when three Onix reared up, roaring at them. A few got slammed by the giant Pokémons' tails, but James' Mankey and a Sandslash engaged the three, nimbly dodging and curling up to take the assault, respectively.

One of the Onix got badly damaged and his Trainer recalled her, but right as he held the Poké Ball tight to prevent a grunt from sucking it up, he felt claws rake his leg. He screamed out while jolting, losing his grip. His Poké Ball got sucked up and he looked to see a Meowth grin at him.

"Thank ya for yer contribution!"

He tried to kick, but the feline Pokémon slipped back into the crowd, intent on tripping up more Trainers to have their Poké Balls stolen.

Near the other side of the ballroom, a Pinsir stood surrounded by holes.

"Ekans!"

He punched only to hit air.

"Ekans!"

He tried to catch his opponent with his horns.

The Bug-type looked around at the holes, so focused that he didn't notice the floor below him starting to sizzle. The weakened hardwood broke and the Snake Pokémon sprung up before wrapping around her target.

Pinsir's Trainer, green haired with brown and forest green colored clothes, called out in distress before Ekans bit him, piercing the shell and poisoning him. Faced with little other option, the Trainer recalled him, opting to keep the ball in his backpack. But the instant he shrunk it, a Fearow swept it away, scratching his hand in the process.

"Pinsir!"

The battle raged on so much that it took several rocks of the ship before anybody noticed them. The ship tilted to its side. The speakers rang and a deep and distorted voice spoke through them.

"Agents! What are you still doing there?! A massive storm has started, and the St. Anne is in danger! Get _out_ of there with what you have before it capsizes and sinks with you _on_ it!"

"Capsizes?!" several of the passengers shouted.

All of the Rocket agents, Jessie and James in particular, muttered curses towards their luck. But Jessie shouted, "Retreat! All units fall back! We'll hold them off!"

The other grunts returned their Pokémon and scattered while Weezing, Beedrill, Ekans and Fearow discouraged pursuit. Ash knew he couldn't run fast enough to catch any of the agents if they ran as fast as Jessie and James, so he concentrated on the descending cage.

"Squirtle, with me!" he ordered as he ran towards it. The Water-type nodded and pulled into his shell to slide along the ground and on top of the descending cage.

James pointed, "Mankey, stop him!"

Ash put on an extra burst of speed as the Fighting-type charged him, but right as Mankey leapt, the Trainer grinned and reached down his suspiciously lumpy closed jacket.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

He threw Pikachu to intercept Mankey and the Electric Pokémon latched on and shocked him. He fell and tried to pry Pikachu off, but he kept zapping until Mankey passed out. Meanwhile, Ash slid into the opening between the hatches just in time to get on the cage as well.

"Blast it!" James cursed as he recalled Mankey. "He got to the cage!"

"Let him," Jessie dismissed as she focused on the Trainers that hadn't fled yet, trying to get their Pokémon back. "It leads to a submarine. If the twerp drowns, it's not our problem so long as we complete our mission."

Pikachu fled with Misty and Brock and Ash's other Pokémon, and the ship heaved again as more of the Trainers fled.

"Shall we make our escape?" Jessie suggested. "What's left of this resistance can't stop us."

"I think we should," James agreed. "With Pikachu gone, there's no reason for us to try catching anymore Pokémon."

Meowth appeared between them as they recalled their Pokémon, "Any idea how?"

The three of them blinked as it hadn't occurred to them on how to get _off_ of the ship. The lifeboats that the other operatives used now had all of the Trainers that escaped near them. They could imagine how well getting on _those_ would work now.

"Huh…" all three of them muttered as they stood alone in the central chamber of a listing ship.

* * *

Ash hurriedly shouldered his backpack again as he fastened his rebreather, turning it on as well as the cage lowered onto a larger submarine, fastening with some locks. He still had Krabby with him in his Poké Ball; he'd been worried about letting the small Pokémon out where any of the robot hands could grab him. Ash had noticed several Pokémon get grabbed by this cage, and while he couldn't help the ones caught in the Vacuum Packs, he could save the ones in here.

A hatch opened in front of the submarine, flooding the chamber, and it moved through a metal corridor into the ocean. Ash hissed through his rebreather as the frigid water surged over his body. The seawater near the coast hadn't been nearly as cold.

'I have to tough it out,' he thought to himself as he signaled Squirtle by pointing to the front of the submersible.

* * *

Two Rocket grunts sat in the pilot chairs of their submarine's cockpit, having been controlling the hands remotely from underneath the ballroom. The pilot, a girl with pink hair going straight down to her shoulder blades piloted the submarine while a male grunt with lime hair cut short under his hat sat with his arms crossed in the copilot's chair.

"Why did I get stuck with babysitting an HQ grunt when I could've been where the real action is on the St. Anne with my partner?" he grumbled.

The pinkette tutted, "Hey, this may be a dull assignment for you, but this is like a trip to the candy store for me! I get called from standby with the job to pilot a submarine _and_ I get to help operate the Poké-Pluckers! It's like a crane game with moving prizes~!"

"Ugh, tone it down," the guy ordered.

The sub moved in silence aside from its sonar and the pilot's giggles until a thud sounded.

The two looked up, "Huh?"

They saw a kid in regular clothes wearing a hat and a rebreather with a sunglasses-wearing Squirtle beside him clinging to the glass. He started beating against it with his fists.

"Think he's trying to tell us something?" the pilot asked.

Her temporary teammate narrowed his eyes, "Wait… I've read about this kid in Squad 13's mission file!"

The boy turned to his Squirtle and the Water-type nodded before clinging to the glass and kicking it, each one thudding loudly, but doing nothing.

"He's not trying to tell us anything," the field agent continued, "he's trying to stop us by breaking the glass!"

Snorting, the girl said, "Well, that's not going to happen. This sub can take a hit from a sledgehammer. If it can handle that much, then a kid and his Squirtle aren't going to do anything."

"Heh, yeah, I guess," the lime-headed teen agreed. "Plus, we're in the middle of the freezing ocean. The kid'll tire himself out."

But then the Trainer outside called out another Pokémon, a Krabby and pointed at the glass while looking at the crustacean.

Krabby raised its claws and started beating repeatedly on the glass with Crabhammer. The thuds echoed louder, and shook the cockpit a little bit, but showed no visible signs of damage.

"See?" the pilot reassured. "Perfectly-"

The River Crab Pokémon raised both its claws and hit one point at the same time, causing a small crack to form.

"-safe…"

Krabby raised its claws again and crashed them against the front window, more cracks spreading along the glass.

"…Well, I think the kid would really sink us for a chance to get the Pokémon we have back," she observed. "You wouldn't happen to have any Water Pokémon on you, would you?"

"No…"

A third crash and cracks started to criss-cross each other.

She flipped up a case over a button and said, "Then I suggest we skedaddle."

* * *

Ash and his Pokémon got thrown off the submarine when the cockpit surged forward, detaching from the rest of the sub with a boom of bubbles floating up between the pieces. With them gone, the rest of the submarine started sinking and Ash swam with his Pokémon to go retrieve it.

Krabby managed to bend and break the metal fastening the cage to the submarine with his pincers, and the rest of the craft sank faster, but the box still descended further into the water. Ash, Squirtle and Krabby tried lifting it, pulling at first before swimming underneath to try pushing with all their might, but still got no results.

* * *

Giant waves rocked the ship as Jessie and James looked over the edge.

"Think we can swim to the nearest land?" James asked.

Jessie looked at him, "Nothing but ocean for miles, what do _you_ think?"

"Meowth! We gotta get outta here one way or anotha!" the feline agent urged.

James thought about it and turned to his teammates, "Jessie, you and Meowth take Fearow. She's fully rested and should be able to at least hover towards the nearest port. We'll just have to pick up our supplies in Vermillion later."

"What about you?" Jessie asked.

"I'll swim for it with Magikarp," James answered.

Meowth gawked at him, "We told ya dat fish is worthless!"

"It's our best chance, so just go; I'll catch up!" the blue-haired agent insisted.

Jessie scowled at him, but took out her Poké Ball, "You'd better make it back or I'll never forgive you."

"I fully intend to. Now shoo!" James urgently waved.

Fearow came out and let Meowth climb aboard her back before flying up a bit and grabbing Jessie's hands as the agent stood on the railing. Fearow dipped a little when over the sea, but beat her wings furiously and managed to get some air back before flying off.

James made sure they were safe before another wave rocked the ship, nearly pushing him back against the wall behind the railing. He took the golden Poké Ball and opened it, picking up Magikarp immediately after he materialized.

"Listen," he urged, "I know that others have said you have no ability, but I know for a _fact_ that you're a Water Pokémon. All I need you to do is float so I can kick us to safety."

Magikarp stilled under James' words before touching a whisker to his Trainer's forehead with a "Karp!"

"Good," James nodded before getting up to the railing and jumping off holding Magikarp under his arm, "GERONIMO!"

He hit the water about thirty feet below, a hard fall, but he'd had worse. Immediately kicking back up to the surface, he let out a breath before holding Magikarp before him. The Fish Pokémon moved his fins, straining his weak swimming muscles to try helping James as he kicked.

They made a little bit of progress, even though the water was cold. But James heard a metallic groaning sound and looked over his shoulder.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me…"

He dove down with Magikarp as the St. Anne capsized, the hull of the ship fast approaching him.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ash started getting colder and colder as they continued sinking with the cage of Pokemon. Before too long, he tried rubbing his arms, only to generate no warmth that deep in the ocean. Squirtle and Krabby noticed, both of them shooting Water Gun as they pushed, trying to get the cage to the surface faster. It slowed it down, but didn't push it up.

After a little while longer of no progress, Ash was visibly shivering and Squirtle looked between him and the cage.

'Have to keep going…' the Trainer thought. 'Have to save…'

His eyes widened as he got grabbed by the arm and hauled upward by Squirtle.

"S-Squirtle…! N-n-no! We c-c-can't leave them! G-go b-b-back!" he ordered with his teeth chattering under the mask.

The Water-type didn't listen, taking him up further. Down below, Krabby kept trying to lift the cage by himself.

'Have to lift this!' Krabby repeated to himself. 'Save the Pokémon, or Trainer won't forgive himself.'

Getting frustrated, the crustacean started beating the bottom of the cage with Crabhammers, hoping the impact would knock the cage upward. But while he had power, the cage was too heavy for him to lift with impact alone.

Continuing to furiously beat the cage, he didn't notice that it did start rising, or that he started glowing. It wasn't until the cage grew smaller in his eyes that he focused on lifting it with renewed effort.

* * *

Moving underwater had assured that the wave of displaced water would push James away before getting hit with the metal hull. But he got separated from Magikarp in the process. After it turned fully upside down, no longer trapping James underneath, he started swimming up to the surface again. However, from getting pushed so far underwater by the massive side of the ship, he started running out of air, which meant his muscles got even weaker in the cold water.

Eventually, with the still churning waters and his weakening, he couldn't make any progress at all with swimming upwards. As he tired out and started sinking, he still held his breath, but couldn't for much longer.

'Sorry, Jessie… I won't make it.'

He could already see the white light at the end of the tunnel while he passed out. But before he did so, he noticed it getting much larger.

'Am I moving towards the light…?'

* * *

Misty and Brock looked worriedly over the water around the capsized ship, not seeing any sign of Ash. Pidgeotto was flying over the water, looking for his Trainer.

Soon, Pidgeotto spotted Ash and Squirtle floating in the water, the Tiny Turtle Pokémon supporting the subdued and shivering Trainer.

"Pidgeo! Pidgeo!"

Squirtle looked up and nodded before beginning to swim over to the lifeboats. But before he got far, a large object breached out of the water beside them. As the water cleared, the metal cage was lifted above the water now, held from below by a familiar, yet different Pokémon.

Still glowing with a wispy white aura, Krabby had grown larger. He was still dwarfed by the cage he held, but his claws had grown, one now much larger than the other and the two points at the top of his carapace had grown four more alongside them, giving him a crown-like crest.

"Krabby…?" Ash muttered in surprise before shaking the water off his Pokédex and pointing it at him.

 ** _"_** ** _Kingler, the Pincer Pokémon. The evolved form of Krabby. Its claws can pinch with the power of 10,000 horsepower."_**

"All right!" he cheered, forgetting his fatigue for the moment. "Great job, Kingler! Is that a new move, or ability?" Dexter pinged and registered Kingler's appearance before answering.

 ** _"_** ** _Move identified: Strength. The user concentrates its power for a devastating attack, able to lift up to three times its own weight."_**

Ash smiled, "Thanks, Kingler."

"Kuki, Kuki-ki-ki!" Kingler rasped happily in reply.

The moment got interrupted as a massive amount of water surged upward on the other side of the ship. Ash and everyone from the life boats looked at the giant serpentine form that rose with a roar.

Its scales were light blue with a beige underbelly and same-colored lips open wide with fierce fangs lining them. It had two long blue whiskers, one of them holding a smaller figure and had several spiky fins along its back. On its face, there were two white fins on the side of its ridged head and a three-pronged crest on it's forehead, jutting outward past its head.

Many of the sailors on board instantly paled when it emerged and started stuttering, "A G- a G-Gya...!"

"A Gyarados!" Misty shouted. "Bulbasaur, tow Ash and Kingler along with Vine Whip, Brock hold him down! Everybody else, tie a Water Pokémon to your boats, we need to get out of here now!"

The passengers of the St. Anne did just that in a frenzy while Bulbasaur managed to reach and reel Ash in while the Trainer held onto Kingler with his legs. Squirtle swam on ahead and let himself be tied to one of the boats without a Water Pokémon.

However, while they moved in a frenzy, the leviathan Pokémon hardly paid them any mind. Instead, he set the small figure he held in his whisker atop the upturned hull of the St. Anne.

* * *

James woke up coughing out water as he felt an insistent pressing on his torso. He nursed his nearly crushed abdomen as the force let up and he lurched upward, clearing out the remaining liquid.

Blearily looking around, his vision cleared as he saw something blue and skinny right in front of him. James shook his head and looked at it clearly to see a blue tendril. Naturally, he followed it out of curiosity to see what it was attached to.

His jaw dropped as he shook in fear from the giant Pokémon face-to-face before him. All the bombs he carried were useless with their gunpowder soaked. And even though the Zap Sapper still worked, it would likely just anger the serpent so he was pretty much a free meal for the sea monster.

Gyarados noticed his fear and touched his whisker to James' forehead in attempted reassurance. The appendage covered the entire upper half of his Trainer's face with the absurd size difference, but it got the message through.

"M-M- _Magikarp_?!" he stuttered in surprise.

Gyarados nodded with a soft growl, trying not to scare him.

James beamed and pulled himself up to his feet, hands out to pet the massive Pokémon's face. Gyarados closed his eyes and leaned closer, enjoying the affection.

"You've evolved! And _what_ an evolution!" he congratulated. "And Jessie and Meowth said you were a no-talent fish. Let's go rub it in their faces!"

The Atrocious Pokémon growled an agreement before lowering his head alongside the ship for James to climb aboard. He had to watch his footing at first, due to Gyarados having just surfaced from the water, but he found the crest at his forehead to be good for holding onto.

* * *

Having panicked in their bid to escape Gyarados, the passengers of the St. Anne wound up fleeing to the island of Porta Vista instead of back to Vermillion. Regardless, the limited number of passengers that had their Pokémon caged were glad to have them back.

It didn't bring back the Pokémon Team Rocket got away with, but Ash felt that at least he made a difference. At this point, it was all that let him sleep at night.

As thanks for getting his Raticate back, the gentleman Trainer from earlier booked them in a hotel for the week until the next ferry to Maiden's Peak on the other side of the bay took off from Hutber Port. Ash wanted to refuse at first, saying they could stay at the local Pokémon Center, but the man insisted.

* * *

As Jessie flew discreetly after the lifeboats, having been left behind, but getting the general direction, she was surprised when James appeared alongside her. He looked soaked, but he gave her a sideways glance with a smirk.

"Lovely evening for a swim, isn't it?" he quipped.

She and Meowth looked and gawked at James standing atop Gyarados' head. The male agent simply turned to them with his smirk turning into a smug grin, "Yeah, you know that 'no-talent fish'? He evolved. Meet the Pokémon that all sailors fear, the leviathan of the deep blue, Gyarados!"

He had asked Gyarados to try pronouncing his name on the way there, just so that he could give that entrance. The sea serpent didn't pronounce very well, more suited to roars, but James got the message.

"Fine," Jessie deadpanned. "You were right and we were wrong. Would Gyarados mind giving me a ride? My arms feel like they're about to fall off, and Fearow can't be doing much better."

"Very well," James agreed as they boarded. "You were following the twerps?"

"Just ta see where they were going," Meowth answered.

Jessie returned Fearow, "We still need to steal some transport back to Vermillion and get our supplies back, and file our report to the Boss. Though with Gyarados, we can probably get to our hideout in Vermillion tonight, file our report in the morning and be back wherever the twerps are by noon tomorrow."

"Right. Full speed ahead, Gyarados!" James commanded in a mighty tone.

Gyarados roared in agreement and sped up, traveling much faster than Fearow's flight.

* * *

 **Done! The St. Anne battle went much differently because Team Rocket actually brought Pokémon to battle against the passengers' instead of just the Vacuum Packs. Instead of the passengers just siccing their Pokémon on the poor unarmed grunts, they could fight back and capture more of the Pokémon. Also, in the anime, they never address the poor Pokémon that got sucked up into the vacuums before the Trainers rallied around Ash. Seriously, watch the episode again. Unless those were empty Poké Balls that went flying from the Trainers, a fair few got sucked up at that point, and even more when the passengers moronically threw their Poké Balls instead of releasing them manually.**

 **Notes:**

 **1\. They never explain why all of that tech is suddenly there. It just transitions from them walking towards the lighthouse (which may or may not be actually abandoned) and then they're suddenly in a high-tech room. This is my attempt to explain that.**

 **2\. Raticate cannot learn Hi-Jump Kick in the games, but in the anime, Pokémon can learn moves that they could logically learn through training to use them. Case in point, Raticate was trained to jump high with his leg out in a kick. Ergo, Raticate learned Hi-Jump Kick.**

 **3\. In case it wasn't clear, the ability is Flash Fire.**

 **Anyway, the St. Anne battle is over and done with. And as you can imagine, the Pokémon Shipwreck episode was completely averted. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and any reviews will be answered in the next one.**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	13. Chapter 13: Evil Doesn't Take a Sick Day

**Review Responses:**

 ** _The King of Ranting_** **: Indeed. Since James didn't buy into the salesman's speech, he wanted to keep Magikarp for himself to use in battle. And given his history (both canonical and in this fic) of treating his Pokémon with kindness, Gyarados cared for James back and stayed with him. I'm glad you approve of my decision for this story. Yes, such a powerful Pokémon could be trouble for Ash and his friends. We'll see what happens.**

 ** _Bored321_** **(Answered via PM, but here's what I put, essentially):  
Making the battle chaotic was halfway intentional, as it's a massive brawl between two virtual armies of Pokémon. However, the other half is because there simply wasn't enough information in the episode of the Pokémon the passengers used, so I was pretty much going blind on constructing the fight scene. Especially because it wouldn't be as linear with Team Rocket able to fight back. Writing a two-way battle between two armies is more difficult than writing a bunch of Pokémon beating up on humans like in the canon episode.**

 **As for the error in logic, I patched it up a bit in the previous chapter. The water's still freezing, but the water pressure isn't mentioned anymore.**

 ** _Snakespur_** **: I'm glad you like what I'm doing with the story! Yeah, since Team Rocket was set on avoiding Ash and co. because they were too strong, the agents themselves got a new Pokémon. Team Rocket got several Pokémon, but not all, so yes, that one'll likely go on Jessie's scoreboard as a draw.**

 **As for Giovanni… you'll see in this chapter.**

 ** _Snoozing Lurker_** **: Thank you, that's what I was going for, on both sides! Let's face it, if Ash stayed the same as he did in canon, he'd have lost Pikachu outside Pewter City, since it wouldn't occur to him to catch a new Pokémon to boost his numbers. Seriously, he** ** _never_** **actively searches for Pokémon to catch in canon, just the ones that stumble into his path that he likes. But I digress.**

 **As for Team Rocket's ability to catch Pokémon, and convert them to their side, yes it depends on the bond. And yes, an institution like Pokémon Tech that trains its Pokémon to essentially follow the orders of whomever is holding their Poké Ball would be easy to rob and convert its Pokémon.**

 **However, with powerful Pokémon, Giovanni would take every insurance that it didn't escape, likely overseeing the task himself instead of delegating it to the ones who captured such a Pokémon. The Magmar, for example, would likely not only have Water Pokémon ready to subdue it, but would likely get a heat resistant metal cell/training arena lined with asbestos. In addition, Giovanni would likely tell the Fire-type that the cell is rigged to flood with water at the press of a button. Not a problem for his aquatic jailers, but lethal to a Pokémon made/fueled by fire.**

 **In the case of Pokémon with strong bonds with their Trainers, take a look at the Squirtle Squad. They held out hope that their leader would rescue them at first, but gave up and decided to toe the line instead of getting separated. The Pokémon's bond with their Trainer is only as strong as their hope of rescue when captured by Team Rocket.**

 **Sure, since all of Ash's team inherited his determined personality, they'd never surrender. But the average Trainer fears Team Rocket and would likely write off any stolen Pokémon as a lost cause. And if a Pokémon was abused by their past Trainer, they'd probably be extra cooperative. Since, as you said, Team Rocket would likely be an improvement. Meanwhile, if James could break the former Squirtle Squad's hope on the way back to HQ, what do you think said headquarters full of other Rocket agents and Giovanni would be able to do?**

 _ **CryptIXeeper**_ **: Sorry for forgetting to respond. Thank you for your review, and I hope you continue to enjoy my story.**

 **Phew, with that done, on with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 13: Evil Doesn't Take a Sick Day

Jessie, James and Meowth stood in front of the monitor, waiting for a call from Giovanni after having filed their report to Matori last night. The trio knew that calling Giovanni directly late at night or early in the morning wouldn't be wise. The Boss called _them_ , not the other way around. His secretary, though, would at least ensure their report got to his desk. This morning, they waited, after having a light meal from their supplies still in the underground hideout.

When the signal of an incoming call appeared on the console just before midday, Meowth hit the button and saw Giovanni and Persian onscreen.

"Hello, Boss," all three agents greeted.

"I have finished reading your report, and several others that came in," he started, "and I must say that I am quite pleased with the results."

They blinked in surprise. Meowth ventured, "Sir? Could ya spare a clue for those of us outta da loop? We had ta abandon ship without a lifeboat, so we might be a little bit behind."

"Well, from what you've told me of the boy," the boss explained, "I knew that he could cost us some potentially valuable Pokémon if he thought to chase after the lifeboats. So, the cage with your mechanical arms, while valuable in subduing Pokémon for capture, also served as the perfect bait."

Jessie's eyes widened, "You mean…?"

"Like with Pokémon Tech…?" James added, grinning as he caught on.

Giovanni smiled, "While on that mission, you sacrificed a portion to free your pursuit of the rest. But you had no idea what was in any of them, so you could have potentially left behind something valuable. Meanwhile, the cage allowed my agents to pick and choose which Pokémon served as a distraction. Two Pikachu, common; a Raticate, absurdly common with a Rattata and some training; a female Nidoran, slightly uncommon; an Oddish, absurdly common… All of the Pokémon were no great sacrifice."

"Ha-ha!" Meowth laughed triumphantly. "Great plottin', Boss!"

"And from what you've told me, you came across a Gyarados while onboard the St. Anne?" the leader continued.

"Yes," James replied. "One of the salesmen on the ship sold me a Magikarp and it evolved into Gyarados while we were escaping."

Giovanni nodded, "Very well, I'll send you the technology for subduing giant Pokémon."

"Thank you for your generosity, Boss," Meowth said with a bow. "But how're ya gonna find us with our communicator gone? We gotta stay on da move, ya know. Vermillion's crackin' down hard tryin' to find da agents that raided da St. Anne."

"Meet at the theme park on the island Porta Vista known as Pokémon Land," he instructed. "It's one of our fronts to fund Team Rocket and takes up half of the island. I'll send a map to the meeting spot for you to print out. The code you'll give to the agent will be on the back. The fee to enter Pokémon Land is rather high, so that boy shouldn't be a factor in your supply run."

* * *

"Ah-choo!"

Ash sniffled as he was wrapped in blankets with a thermometer in his mouth. Soon after, the thermometer beeped and Brock took it out.

"Yup, that's a fever," he confirmed.

Misty huffed, "What made you think going for a swim in the middle of the ocean was a good idea?"

"I had to," Ash insisted around his coughs.

"I know…" she granted. "But it still wasn't very smart."

"The good news is that it seems to be a simple cold," Brock explained. "I'll be right back with some medicine."

* * *

After riding across the sea on a stolen speedboat that carried their supplies, the Rocket trio jumped onto the shore, avoiding the half of the island with cities. Meowth looked around while Jessie took a folded square of paper out and James released Gyarados to guard their boat. They had learned the lesson to not leave their craft unattended.

"Doesn't look like much of a theme park," the Pokémon agent commented.

Jessie shrugged as she unfolded the map that highlighted the routes of the animatronics and pointed out a safe way to get to the checkpoint, "It's more about the giant Pokémon than any rides. Let's see… there should be a path at a phone booth right… there!"

They spotted the booth and followed its wire until they reached a sign in the middle of the road where they turned to head into the forest itself. After navigating the trees at Jessie's direction, they came up to the X on the map and looked with raised eyebrows.

"Well at least we don't hafta find somewhere ta get lunch," Meowth deadpanned.

A Slowbro stood behind a food stall with a paper fan to cool himself. Octopus fritters, stir-fried noodles, tempura shrimp and other such foods were on display under heat lamps. Still, they were moderately hungry, so they took a seat. The Hermit Crab Pokémon stood decently tall, so Meowth had to adjust his stool up to look over the counter while Jessie and James lowered their own. **(1)**

Regarding the Pokémon with a puzzled expression, James held up a finger, "Er, an order of pickled plum rice balls with furikake for me."

"Fried shrimp and octopus dumplings," Meowth ordered with a grin.

Jessie sniffed imperiously and said, "I guess I'll have the chicken skewers."

Slowbro nodded with the same dopey grin and went about collecting their orders while James set some money down.

Meowth thought about the instructions to come here and the code they got. Blinking as he thought about it, he shook his head, 'No way…'

As Slowbro set down their trays, the feline Pokémon grinned and said, "Thanks, bud! Ya know, ya look like ya don't get out much. Ya should come outta yer shell."

Pausing for a brief moment, the Slowbro closed his fan and reached up to his face before pulling off his head. The three of them gawked as an agent with navy hair combed over one eye regarded them.

"I got the package and the note saying to expect you three," he informed. "Of course, I had to be sure. Somebody could've been trying to flush me out by wearing our insignia."

Meowth blinked before frowning, "And how many trios include a talkin' Meowth?"

"Ventriloquists," the agent retorted before bending down behind his stall to open a trapdoor.

Jessie shook her head in amazement, "I knew Team Rocket had agents everywhere, but this surprises me."

"It's all part of the info network," he said as he pulled out a large package. "You'd be surprised what rich folk say in front of a 'stupid Pokémon'. Plus, I was one of the few that could fit in the costume."

Pushing the package into James's hands and their now wrapped up lunches into Jessie's, the undercover grunt put his mask back on and said, "There are instructions inside, along with your new communicator to send Pokémon. Now run along, and try not to be seen, too."

* * *

Ash lay in one of the luxurious beds in the hotel room. Truly, the gentleman Trainer from the St. Anne had been generous in booking them for the week. This had been the most comfortable he and his friends had ever slept. If only the illness didn't put a damper on the experience.

Pikachu rested in Misty's arms while she sat in an armchair. Soon, the door opened and Brock had a white bag with a red pharmacy cross on it and a glass of water. Ash sat up and Brock walked over to him, setting down the water on the nightstand and pulling out a bottle of red liquid with a tiny cup over the lid.

Brock poured some of the cold medicine into the cup and held it out to Ash, "This should offset most of the symptoms, and if you take it every couple of hours, you should be better by tomorrow with plenty of bed rest."

Taking the tiny cup, Ash let out a sigh before downing the contents in one gulp. He gagged in disgust and quickly switched it for the water, emptying half of the glass to wash the taste out of his mouth.

The Pokémon breeder smiled awkwardly, "It might taste bad, but it'll fix you up."

Ash yawned, "I'd like to look around tomorrow, so I'm going to get some rest… You all can go out and explore, though. Pikachu, just make sure not to wander too far from Misty or Brock."

"Are you sure?" Misty asked, though she was glad to not have to sit around in the hotel room, no matter how nice it was.

"I have medicine, I'll be fine," Ash reassured tiredly. "You three have fun…" He yawned again and settled into the fluffy pillow, "It's a beach town. You shouldn't be cooped up in here…"

* * *

"Ooh, this swimsuit certainly looks fetching!"

"Now, now, remember that we're on a budget."

"Meow!"

Team Rocket was in disguise while they did some shopping in Porta Vista's various markets. Jessie styled her hair differently and wore glasses along with forgoing her usual makeup and wearing some tropical clothes. A blue tube top, a sea foam green shawl over it, and white shorts had been enough. James wore a palm tree print shirt with plain khaki shorts and flip-flops while having his hair sprayed purple and tied into a ponytail. Meowth wore a blue collar with a tag labeled "Winston" and walked on all fours, hiding in plain sight as a regular Pokémon. Together, the three of them just looked like regular tourists and their pet.

"We just got our pay deposited to our accounts," Jessie defended as she tucked the red one-piece under her arm. "You're already keeping me from buying any souvenirs, but I'm _getting_ this swimsuit."

"Myaa…" Meowth complained as he sat down and rolled his eyes.

James sighed, "Quite right, there's just no convincing her when she gets like this."

The feline agent's eyes wandered, and he nearly dropped character when he saw a couple of familiar faces across the aisle.

He pawed at Jessie and James' legs and subtly pointed with his tail, waving the appendage in the same direction twice. They subtly checked and didn't react outward. This was a golden opportunity, and they couldn't afford to blow it.

Jessie sighed and held the bag containing her purchase over her shoulder, "Alright, alright. I swear, you get so cranky without your afternoon nap, Winston."

The trio made their way casually from the market and started plotting a point to ambush Misty and Brock to steal Pikachu.

* * *

Misty looked gleefully at the seashell accessories on display on the counter before her while Pikachu stood nearby. She had always wanted one, but Cerulean City, ironically, wasn't anywhere near the ocean. Brock was more interested in the geodes, looking, but not buying since he had to bear in mind the money for the group's food.

The Cerulean leader bought a miniature conch shell necklace and met back up with Brock, "It's nice to just spend the day shopping at a tropical island like this."

"Yeah," Brock agreed. "It's a shame that Ash had to get sick, though. He shouldn't have to put up with that for trying to help…"

Nearby, a person that looked at some of the merchandise a few stalls down stood up slightly straighter.

"I guess he shouldn't, but Ash is a bit too reckless," Misty sighed. "He could've frozen to death without a wetsuit! Frankly, he's lucky that he just got a cold."

"Excuse me?"

Both Misty and Brock turned to see an auburn-haired woman with a curious expression. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, and she wore a green one piece swimsuit with an open white shirt and white shorts over it along with pink sandals. She continued, asking, "Who has a cold, now?"

"Oh, uh, just our friend, miss," Brock answered. "He's back at our hotel room resting."

"I see," she nodded. "Excuse me."

After the woman walked off, Misty raised an eyebrow, "I wonder what that was about. Oh well. Hey, want to go check out the forest next?"

* * *

"Here they come!" Jessie celebrated as she put away her binoculars. "I told you nobody could resist checking out the tropical forest."

"Should I use the smoke bomb or a flash grenade for our entrance? Or maybe go old school with the colored smoke pyrotechnics?"

"Meowth! Just pick one and focus on da mission! Dis is a once-in-a-lifetime chance ta catch Pikachu!"

"Hmph," James grunted, "if that Squirtle hadn't ruined all of our supplies, we could've just whipped up another Poké Plucker and had a guaranteed victory." As it was, they probably had the metal, but not certain special parts that they'd need to raid a factory for. The only gadget they had was the Zap Sapper 2.0 and a few of the Zap Caps (their clever name for the cartridges) from their raid aboard the St. Anne.

"No point pondering what if's," his partner dismissed. "Get your camouflage on and zip it! They'll be here any minute."

* * *

Professor Oak looked around, standing with the rest of the Pallet Town tour group and wearing a tropical shirt in the spirit of visiting Porta Vista.

'Where could she have gone to? She said she would be back in a few minutes after looking for a souvenir,' he mused. After taking a look at his watch, he confirmed that she'd been gone for much longer.

* * *

A quiet knocking caused Ash to turn in his sleep. As it became slightly more insistent, the young Trainer groaned and reached for one of his Poké Balls on the nightstand next to his hat.

"Bulbasaur, can you get the door…?" he muttered while popping the sphere open.

The Seed Pokémon materialized and sent a vine to unlock the door before wrapping around the doorknob. Once he opened it, also ready to shoot Sleep Powder in case it was a threat, somebody peeked inside before seeing the vine.

"Thank you," they politely said to Bulbasaur.

Ash furrowed his brow with his eyes still closed as he recognized the voice. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes clear before looking at his unexpected guest. Then his eyes widened as he saw literally the worst person to catch him like this. He would've even preferred an ambush from Team Rocket!

"Ash Ketchum," his mother said with a stern expression, "sorry for waking you, but would you mind telling me what you've been up to that got you sick?"

The Pallet Trainer gulped, because he knew that he couldn't lie to his mom.

* * *

The two Gym Leaders and Pikachu looked around in fascination, marveling at the plant life. They had grown up in more moderate climates, so the colorful flowers and different types of trees were a new experience for them.

"Wow…" Brock marveled. "We don't have anything like this in Pewter City."

"Pi-kachu!"

"It's beautiful!" Misty agreed. "I'm glad we didn't miss this."

"You should've stayed inside and prepared for trouble!" a new voice jeered.

Another added, "Now you'll have to make it double!"

The three looked around, trying to spot the source of the voices and finally looked up, seeing that the leaves were bundled strangely atop three of the branches overhead.

"To protect the world from devastation,"

"To unite all peoples within our nation,"

Soon, those bundles stood up straighter, revealing themselves to be three figures wearing leaf cloaks and holding fans woven out of the foliage over their faces to obscure them.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love,"

"To extend our reach to the stars above,"

The two taller figures lowered the fans, revealing their smirking faces. One of them had her long hair tied into a bun so it didn't stick out from behind the fan before then.

"Jessie!"  
"James!"

They jumped down, leaving the last, shorter figure behind as they tossed off their camouflage, Jessie undoing her hair and letting it flow into her trademark curl on the way down while James spontaneously held a white rose. The two agents landed back-to-back as they continued their motto.

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

The last member of the trio jumped off the branch and, in a flurry of motion, cut off his own camouflage, making the individual leaves flutter in front of the agents while he landed.

"Meowth! Dat's right!"

Three pyrotechnics went off, exploding into pillars of colored smoke behind them and making the leaves blow away dramatically.

Brock scratched the back of his head, "Um, Ash is sick right now. Could you try to steal Pikachu another time?"

"Now's the _perfect_ time," Jessie countered bluntly. "The lead twerp is out of the picture and you two are too weak to protect his Pokémon."

"Who're you calling weak?!" Misty shouted while taking out her Poké Balls.

"Geodude, Onix, Zubat…" James listed with a smirk while looking at Brock before turning his gaze to Misty, "Staryu, Starmie… Goldeen doesn't count because this isn't a water battle." His eyes narrowed with a sinister grin while the agent looked at Ash's Pokémon between them, "…And Pikachu."

Meowth grinned as his eyes gleamed, "Six-ta-seven… Can ya really fight those odds, back-up twoips?"

Brock's brow furrowed, "Seven… Wait, don't you only have…" Then his expression turned to shock as James placed the rose in his teeth and pulled out a golden Poké Ball.

"Allow me to introduce you to the newest member of Team Rocket," he cordially offered before popping the sphere open.

The two Gym Leaders watched in horror as Gyarados materialized coiled on the ground. Knowing that it was all over if that Pokémon attacked, Brock sent out his own in a hurry.

"Onix, Bind it!"

The Rock Snake appeared in a flash, but Team Rocket simply opened the rest of their Poké Balls, unleashing their full team on Brock and Misty. Mankey leaped up to latch onto Onix, but Misty threw her two Poké Balls out, "Starmie, Tackle Mankey! Staryu, Swift on Gyarados!"

The Mysterious Pokémon tackled the Fighting-type out of the air, allowing Onix to wrap around the sea serpent, even as his target bit down on the other snake's rocky hide. Staryu stood on the ground and shot stars at the bound leviathan.

Unfortunately, the Water-type's stars got shot down by other stars and Meowth ran forward to engage Staryu.

Meanwhile, Jessie ordered her whole team on the giant serpent, "Armor-Piercing Formation!"

In response to the order, Ekans used Acid while Fearow copied it with Mirror Move and they sprayed various parts of Onix's body with the caustic fluid. Beedrill, meanwhile, aimed at the now vulnerable spots with Twineedle, aiming to inflict poison on the Rock-type.

Once Fearow had Acid with Mirror Move, the female agent ordered, "Ekans, eyes on the prize! Burrow underground!" The serpent looked at Misty and Brock before diving into the ground.

At this point, Brock released his remaining Pokémon, knowing that they'd need them. Then he realized that while Gyrados was bound, he would be vulnerable to shocks, since Onix wouldn't be affected anyway. If they could just knock that Pokémon out, then he should be able to handle Jessie's team with Geodude's help while Misty's Pokémon kept Mankey and Meowth busy and Zubat took on Weezing.

He turned to where Ash's Pokémon stood between them, "Pikachu, I need you to-"

The breeder blinked in surprise as he looked at nothing but the dirt road. Misty saw his surprise out of the corner of her eye and looked before her eyes widened.

"Where'd Pikachu go?!"

The Pokémon still battled around the Trainers as James answered, "Well, I'd _like_ to say that we cleverly snatched it while you were focused on the others, but it seems the little mouse ditched you two. Honestly, can't say I blame it."

Onix teetered and fell, allowing Gyarados free and James wasted no time climbing up the Atrocious Pokémon's back, "Meowth, take command! I'm chasing Pikachu!"

"Take Ekans' Poké Ball!" Jessie said as she tossed the sphere to her partner. He caught it with ease and shrunk it before sticking the container into his pocket.

"Staryu, Starmie! Stop him!" Misty ordered as Gyarados barreled forward. But Weezing and Fearow barred their way. Geodude tried to pick up and throw a rock, but Mankey kicked it back towards him.

Brock frantically ordered, "Supersonic, Zubat!"

While the bat flitted in James' path, the agent simply took his rose from his mouth and clicked a thorn before throwing it petals-first at Zubat. The flower released globs of sticky, white substance, tangling up the flying Pokémon's wings and pinning him to the ground while also covering his mouth so he couldn't screech.

Gyarados barreled past Zubat and knocked Misty and Brock aside while continuing onward to the shore.

Meowth immediately used Fury Swipes on the downed Zubat to knock him out and turned to Brock and Misty while Weezing hovered nearby.

"Now where were we?"

* * *

Pikachu ran down the beach as fast as he could, pressing his Agility hard to dash over the sand. He hoped that he'd be able to get Ash while Team Rocket was distracted. But he knew that Misty and Brock wouldn't be able to hold out for long.

Suddenly, the sand ahead of him burst and he skid to a stop as Ekans emerged from the ground with a hissing shout.

"Pika-CHUUUU!" Pikachu tried firing a bolt of electricity, but the Poison-type just burrowed back underground. The mouse stayed on the move, trying to maneuver around and get closer to the hotel, but he knew he was burning time.

Getting an idea, he started running the direction he needed to go in earnest again and Ekans appeared ahead of him. Pikachu fired several flashy bolts of electricity that shot across the shore and in view of the city.

* * *

A tense silence filled the room as Ash finished telling his mother about what had happened with Team Rocket since… now that he thought about it, pretty much since after he first called her. He'd been so busy that he'd never had the chance to call her again. Bulbasaur had listened at the beginning to learn more about Ash, but had lain down to rest once he passed the point with AJ's Gym.

Delia was sitting in a chair now and took a deep breath, "So this Team Rocket gang wants to steal Pikachu?"

"Yes," Ash answered, not really sure what else he could say.

"And they've tried several times, each time putting you in quite a bit of danger, and peaked with their attempt to steal an entire cruise liner's worth of Pokémon from the passengers, including you?"

"That's right."

"And the reason you got sick was trying to save some Pokémon captured in that particular plan, by diving into the ocean with only a breathing mask and no other protective gear. Is that everything?"

"Yeah, that's it. At least until they attack again, if I'm being honest."

"I just have one question," Delia said. "If I hadn't heard about you today, and didn't think to ask, would you have told me?"

Ash felt a stab of guilt as he knew the answer already. He wished he had his hat so he could hide his eyes. He sighed, "Probably not. I wouldn't want you to worry."

"Ash, I'm your mother, it's my _job_ to worry about you," she replied as her shoulders shook. "But please, I'd rather know and hear that you're safe than not know that you're in danger."

"I'm sorry! Please don't cry!" Ash hurriedly said when he noticed his mom's state. "I'll call more often, and I've been training a lot! You don't have to worry, I can handle Team-"

The familiar buzz of electricity shot right near their window, causing Ash to stop mid-sentence and immediately turn to face the window, dreading the reason why an electric attack would go off. Sure enough, farther on the shore, he saw a mass of electrical attacks being fired repeatedly, several bolts streaking near the town.

He immediately threw off the blanket, Bulbasaur picking up the sound of the motion and waking up. 'Pikachu wouldn't use that kind of power for just anybody. Team Rocket must be attacking!'

But when Ash swung his legs to the side of the bed and reached for his belt of Poké Balls, his mom grabbed his hand.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

"Mom, please!" Ash protested. "I know I'm sick, but I need to get to that beach!"

"You are _not_ leaving this bed, young man!" Delia insisted.

* * *

Pikachu managed to trick Ekans into diving towards the ground by getting ready to charge electricity. When she made to burrow, he shot it at the sand that she dove towards, crystallizing the matter and making her stun herself from the impact. Another Thunderbolt, and he managed to knock her out.

But before he could let out a breath of relief, the sound of shifting sand grew louder behind him and he heard a voice that made his stomach drop.

"Ekans, return."

A beam retrieved the unconscious snake and Pikachu wheeled around to see James atop his new Gyarados.

He grinned sinisterly, "You really did quite a number on Jessie's Ekans, but she did her job. You see, Gyarados isn't quite as fast on land as he is on the water, but he's fast enough, apparently."

Pikachu's cheeks buzzed with electricity and James laughed.

"Don't even bother," he said with a shake of his head as he took the improved Zap Sapper from his belt and held it up. He had enough cartridges fastened to the inside of his belt to hold the electricity of ten Pikachu.

James jumped down, standing protectively in front of Gyarados and thumbing the button to activate the attraction charge in the gun, "You can't win against Gyarados, and you won't outrun _me_ , so why don't you just make it easier on both of us and come quietly?"

In response, Pikachu dove into one of the holes that Ekans had made, planning to sneak away underground.

James sighed and took a step back, "Hard way it is. Gyarados, uproot Pikachu and then use Dragon Rage."

Using his tail, the Atrocious Pokémon carved a trench in the sand several feet thick and deep, sending Pikachu flying into the air along with several hundred pounds of sand. His eyes turning into slits Gyarados roared and summoned a cyclone that drew Pikachu in from the air along with the sand.

"Batter up, Gyarados," James ordered as he watched the miniature figure spinning through the localized sandstorm. "Looks like we'll need to knock Pikachu out first."

Gyarados reeled back his tail and watched carefully before swinging it through the cyclone and breaking it apart as he struck Pikachu into the ground. The sand rose up in a cloud as Pikachu drove another trench in the shore. James took out a set of rubber gloves and put them on over his standard pair as he walked closer, not lowering the Zap Sapper.

Surprisingly, Pikachu was still conscious and trying to crawl away, but James just stepped closer. Gyarados moved near as well.

"It's over, Pikachu," James said with a superior smirk. "You've given us quite a run for our money, but we have you now."

Pikachu tried to catch him by surprise and zap him, but James still had his thumb pressed on the gun's absorb button, so it just got drawn into its large reserves. Still, Gyarados didn't appreciate the attack on James, so he swatted the Electric Pokémon with his tail. Pikachu skipped once before landing on his stomach with a pained expression.

James shook his head, turning to Gyarados, "That was a bit unnecessary. I wasn't in any danger, and we already have him."

"Bulbasaur, Poison Leech!"

James' eyes widened and he saw a seed tinted purple with same-colored dust coming off of it fly across his view to hit Gyarados in the side. The seed sprouted into multiple similarly tinted dusty vines of ivy that wrapped around the Water Pokémon's body. At the same time, the dust turned the afflicted area purple with poison that rapidly appeared on Gyarados' face in a discolored blush.

James watched in surprise for a moment before turning to see an auburn-haired woman releasing another Pokémon, a Kingler to hunker protectively over Pikachu while a Bulbasaur stood by her side. He recognized the Pokémon and let out a groan while holding up his own Poké Ball to recall Gyarados, leaving the ivy floating in the air before it fell and withered. It was the only way to stave off the poison until he could get a hold of an Antidote. If he tried to make his newest Pokémon keep fighting, then the poison could seriously put his life at risk, never mind the draining plants as well.

With that, James had no Pokémon besides Jessie's already injured Ekans. Raising his Zap Sapper to the sky, he fired a lightning bolt.

* * *

Back in the forest, Misty and Brock kept trying to take down Team Rocket's Pokémon to go help Pikachu while Jessie and Meowth tried doing likewise to meet up with James again for their getaway. But the criminals largely just intended to stall the two Gym Leaders.

Geodude had lost relatively fast to Mankey while Fearow and Beedrill dealt with Misty's Pokémon. And without Zubat, Weezing and Mankey double teamed with Jessie's Pokémon against the Water-types, allowing Meowth to focus on commanding James' Pokémon.

Jessie noticed the lightning bolt fired straight into the sky and cursed under her breath, "Meowth, rendezvous."

The feline agent grunted irritably, "Can't anythin' ever go smoothly? Weezing, Smokescreen!"

The two Trainers were left coughing as the cloud of smoke dispersed. Misty looked around and saw Team Rocket and their Pokémon nowhere in sight, "They ran away!"

"I don't think so, Misty," Brock said uneasily. "I think they went after Pikachu! We have to head back to the hotel!"

Misty called back her Pokémon, "Why there?"

"Where else would Pikachu go to feel safe if not with us?" the breeder asked rhetorically before running off. Misty quickly followed.

* * *

 **Things are really heating up, aren't they? So sorry, but I have to bid you ciao for now. It's another case where I need to split a super long chapter into two parts, and the second part isn't written yet. Also, school will be starting soon, so that's a thing.**

 **Notes:**

 **1\. Slowbro stand at 5' 03" on average.**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	14. Chapter 14: The Call to Duty

**Review Responses:**

 ** _Bored321_** **: Well, not every chapter can be filled with progress. After such a huge event like the St. Anne, there's bound to be a more toned down chapter to illustrate the "payout and fallout". Them's the breaks.**

 **Also, LOL to your last note. That's pretty much how it** ** _is_** **in canon, except it's "Looks like we're blasting off agaaaaain!"**

 ** _Snoozing Lurker_** **: See above for my answer to the first part of your review. Sorry, I don't feel like writing it twice.**

 **In rebuttal to your teleporting Magmar counterpoint, Team Rocket is based in both Kanto** ** _and_** **Johto. They know about both Dark-types, so therefore could create a signal based on their immunity to psychics that would jam teleportation, and they know about moves like Mean Look and Spider Web which prevent Pokémons' escape. Also, in the Kalos anime, James has a scanner (presumably given by Giovanni) that could give Inkay's information, such as type and quite likely all of the moves they know, like how Paul scanned each Pokémon he caught for superior strength and movepools. If Team Rocket has such scanners, then they could check what moves it knows and plan accordingly.**

 **True that a Pokémon could play nice to get Team Rocket to try using them and letting them out of their cell, but there's going to be something shown later that'll show how Team Rocket could take preventative measures to their escape.**

 **Also, true to that last point, even if a Pokémon managed to escape Team Rocket, unless they could fly or stowaway to wherever they came from (if from a different region) and their Trainer waited a long time for them to come back, the two would likely never meet again.**

 ** _The King of Ranting_** **: Yeah, Team Rocket's luck just turns sour the instant they decide to go after Pikachu, doesn't it? Funny thing about that, you'll see in this chapter what difference a little competence can make in that regard.**

 ** _Qatzol_** **: I don't know if you were referencing the song (kudos if so), but I intend to. :)**

 ** _Proxenx_** **: I'm honestly not sure at this point. They came close a few times in canon when they were half (and that's being** ** _generous_** **) the villains they are in here. My version of Team Rocket is less about the giant mechas (which is why they aren't flat broke) and more about wielded gadgets.**

 **In short, when I can think of absolutely** ** _zero_** **counters or escapes for Ash to use,** ** _then_** **Team Rocket will catch Pikachu. The longer it takes, the less likely that it'll happen, as Ash will get stronger and smarter.**

 **On with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 14: The Call to Duty

James lowered his arm after firing the signal, regarding the woman in front of him. She wore a belt over her hip, as it didn't fit properly around her waist, and it had five Poké Balls attached to it.

"So, who are you and why do you have the twerp's Pokémon?" he asked.

"My name is Delia Ketchum," she answered. "And my son has told me about you."

Pikachu moved from underneath Kingler as fast as his injuries allowed and hid behind Delia's legs, away from James. He knew from experience that the blue-haired teen didn't need Pokémon to be dangerous.

"Always something…" James said with a sigh while hooking the Zap Sapper to the outside of his belt, habitually pulling out an empty Zap Cap to switch into the gun. But instead of slipping the filled one into his belt, he discreetly slid it up his sleeve with a sleight of hand. Then he took a step forward and politely held out his frontmost hand, "If you could just hand Pikachu over, miss, I'd _really_ prefer to not drag a civilian into this if it can be avoided." Even as he spoke, he mentally catalogued the amount and types of explosives he had on his person.

"This Pikachu is my son's and his closest friend," Delia answered resolutely. "I'm _not_ letting you take him."

The agent sighed once more. "I tried…" he said with a shake of his head as he slipped a smoke bomb from his sleeve into the hand behind his back. While his right sleeve was always free to hold something, his left always held an extra smoke bomb in case Weezing got knocked out.

James threw it to the ground, releasing a black cloud onto the beach. It didn't reach Delia, but moments after, a Poké Ball flew towards the group. Only Bulbasaur and Pikachu recognized the danger, the former shouting a warning to Kingler. The three Pokémon shut their eyes.

Unfortunately, Delia couldn't speak Pokémon, so she got blinded by the disguised flash grenade. She held her hands to her eyes and James rushed forward out of the smoke towards Kingler, having used the smoke to mask him shutting his own eyes. Moving the Zap Cap from his sleeve back to his right hand, he slid a tab that made two tiny metal points emerge at the top.

By this time, Kingler opened his eyes again and aimed to hit James with a Crabhammer from his large claw. The agent slid under on the sand, barely avoiding the attack and losing a few strands of his hair when tilting his head to avoid the following Vicegrip from the smaller pincer. In position, he thrust the cartridge up, prodding the Pincer Pokémon with the points before pressing the same tab into the cartridge. The crustacean got shocked by the device's payload, being lit up with Pikachu's electricity before passing out.

Bulbasaur tried to grab James with Vine Whip, but James swept Kingler's legs out from under him and heaved him to topple over the Seed Pokémon's vines, pinning them to the ground.

Pikachu climbed up Delia and hit the other three Poké Balls, enlarging them and making them release their Pokémon.

Meanwhile, James threw a standard bomb towards Bulbasaur, who was still pinned down because of his vines. But the Seed Pokémon was far from tired out like last time, so he simply took a breath and blew the lit bomb back towards the thrower. Rather than risk a game of exploding hot potato, James snatched the live explosive and threw it out over the ocean. It still exploded in the sea due to the new waterproofing he'd given his explosives.

Butterfree, Pidgeotto and Squirtle had emerged right when Delia managed to clear her eyes. The blue-haired agent knew he couldn't dodge forever. Bulbasaur had already worked his vines through the sand to pull them out from under Kingler, so he was mobile again, and Pikachu was at the back of the group, guarded by all of Ash's Pokémon.

Suddenly, stars shot past him, which Bulbasaur and Squirtle shot down with their own projectile attacks, Razor Leaf and Bubble Beam, respectively. James chanced a glance back and saw Jessie and Meowth running towards him with all of their Pokémon, sans Ekans and Gyarados, of course.

Jessie stopped right beside him and said, "You had _one job_ , James."

"Relax, Jess," Meowth reassured. "It's five-on-four; Pikachu's in no shape ta fight back. We can still pull out a win."

James took out his standard red rose, pointing forward, "Weezing, Smog attack, now."

The poisonous gas didn't get far before Butterfree and Pidgeotto blew it away with a whirlwind. But it did its job of allowing a few seconds of obscurity. Team Rocket and their Pokémon had split up to take on their opponents with Weezing going for Butterfree, Meowth going for Squirtle, Mankey going for Bulbasaur, and Jessie's Pokémon double teaming Pidgeotto.

Delia recalled Kingler and kept Pikachu close, trying to keep track of all the commotion. While she'd studied under Professor Oak when she was younger, it was more battle theory than in practice.

"Bulbasaur, Sleep Powder!"

The Seed Pokémon shot the blue powder from his bulb, but Mankey wasn't fazed. It spread out behind the Fighting-type to go towards Fearow and Beedrill in the air, but Fearow spotted it and dispersed it with a Whirlwind.

"Excellent, Fearow!" Jessie praised. "Now, Mirror Move!"

While Beedrill kept Pidgeotto engaged, Fearow used Mirror Move to create an apparition of Bulbasaur and shot Sleep Powder at Delia. She knew that taking out the Trainer would be the smart thing to do.

But what she didn't see was that Beedrill used a Twineedle attack on Pidgeotto, only for the stingers to go right through the bird as Ash's Pokémon hovered in mid-air as if paused. After the image disappeared, Pidgeotto appeared in front of Delia with a burst of Agility and blew the Sleep Powder back at Fearow with Whirlwind.

The Beak Pokémon's eyes widened in surprise, but she breathed in the sleeping agent and fell from the sky to the sand, unconscious.

"What da?!" Meowth said, getting distracted. "Da twoip's bird learned Double- Gack!"

He got interrupted as Squirtle rushed him and landed a Mega Kick. Meowth bounced once, but landed on all fours while shaking his head. Squirtle blew a Bubble Beam to follow up and the feline agent was on the defensive now.

Pidgeotto created more illusory doubles and Beedrill formed more to match, each trying to draw the other into striking a copy and creating an opening.

Delia let her attention draw away from the aerial battle, and checked on Bulbasaur and Butterfree. It was pretty even between the Grass-type and the Fighting-type, the Seed Pokémon trying different powders now that he knew Sleep Powder wouldn't work, which Mankey dodged with nimble footwork, but Bulbasaur's vines ensured that he couldn't get too close. Butterfree, meanwhile, avoided using physical attacks that wouldn't affect Weezing's light body and stuck to blowing wind that could knock him away and spore attacks that Weezing countered with Smog.

Squirtle managed to push Meowth back, the feline agent panting. His Swift attack couldn't get past Squirtle's Bubble Beam, the denser bubbles much more powerful than the standard. And Squirtle had grown much better in close combat.

He glanced at Mankey, who got captured by a vine that Bulbasaur had snuck under the sand and he rushed over on all fours. Jumping up, Meowth readied Scratch and cut the vine, making Bulbasaur cry out and let go of the Fighting Pokémon to retract his wounded appendage.

"Trade ya?" Meowth asked as Mankey pulled himself up.

The Pig Monkey Pokémon nodded and ran off to engage Squirtle. Bulbasaur growled at Meowth and took a breath before blowing sand in his face. Meowth covered his eyes to avoid the airborne particles, and listened carefully. He heard the footfalls and readied his claws.

Mankey had an easier time with Squirtle, dodging the water attacks and moving in close to begin fighting. While the Water-type had Mega Punch and Mega Kick, he wasn't that well-versed in actual close combat, merely knowing the two moves. He managed to catch Mankey off guard by pulling his head in to dodge an attack and spraying the Fighting-type with water, giving him some breathing room.

James' Pokémon looked ready to retaliate, but a small puff of sand appeared behind him and Pikachu emerged from the ground to grab his leg. Mankey gave a grunt of surprise and looked at the half-buried Pokémon already sparking before his eyes widened.

"CHUUUU!"

Mankey screeched as the electricity was helped by the fact that he was wet. The sand crystallized around the two Pokémon, and after the shock cut off Mankey passed out.

Squirtle nodded, "[Thanks for the assist.]" His sunglasses gleamed as he turned to Meowth, who noticed that Mankey had fallen with Pikachu's intervention. "[Now, where were we?]"

"Hey, no fair!" Meowth protested as he looked around. "Ya got me outnumbered!"

Pikachu heard a crackle of electricity and pushed Squirtle out of the way as a bolt crystallized the spot he'd stood on. He turned and saw James with the Zap Sapper ready and a bomb in his hand. He threw it, forcing the Pokémon (including Meowth) to scatter, and recalled Mankey.

Meowth retreated to Jessie's side, panting, "This ain't goin' well, Jess. Da twoip's trained his Pokémon good."

"Then we start getting bad," Jessie answered.

She took out a set of steel heels with toe coverings. James had fashioned them from some of the metal they possessed in light of him having his bombs and Jessie wanting a weapon. The male agent had made them as a bit of a joke, him and Meowth saying that she'd always had a mean kick and that the coverings would augment them. Surprisingly to James, she'd actually liked them and kept them since their last resupplying. She hadn't used them on the St. Anne, both because she didn't want something new slowing her down and didn't want to lose them.

Jessie dropped the heels onto the ground and slipped her feet into them, the contours made to fit and hold onto her boots with some clips that she fastened. They made her a little slower and her steps a bit awkward since they were a recent addition to her wardrobe, but she felt they would help even the odds.

With those attached, she ran into the battlefield and made to punt Bulbasaur. The Seed Pokémon dodged, surprised at first, but reaching out with his vines to restrain Jessie.

Meanwhile, James engaged Squirtle, Pikachu unable to contribute much with him holding the Zap Sapper. While throwing bombs and shooting bolts of electricity, the criminal also took occasional potshots at Butterfree, which Delia had to warn to avoid.

The distraction, though, proved to be his undoing as Weezing managed to land a Sludge attack and finally ground Butterfree. Delia recalled the Butterfly Pokémon as Weezing left to go assist James against Squirtle.

With Squirtle and Bulbasaur occupied, Meowth had snuck back in and started shooting Swift at Pidgeotto in an effort to take the bird down, combing through the illusory doubles of him battling against the copies of Beedrill. Unfortunately for him, since he was focused on directing his stars to Pidgeotto, Pikachu managed to sneak up on him from underground and shock him the same as he'd shocked Mankey.

"Gahhhhh!" Meowth shouted. Once it wore off, he was still standing, but aching all over, so he growled at Pikachu and scratched him across the face. The Electric Pokémon winced, but burrowed back underground to wait for another opportunity.

Jessie picked up Meowth since she only needed her feet to attack and called, "James, Pikachu's sneaking through the ground! Do something about this sand!"

James started firing bolts of electricity and hardening the sand all around them, making a layer that Pikachu couldn't get through and forcing the Electric Pokémon to come out of one of the holes already made.

Ash's mother could only watch as Team Rocket battled with complete disregard for any rules in their bid to catch Pikachu and how Ash's Pokémon fought back, as if they _expected_ it. She'd hardly needed to give any direction to them.

'Ash does this sort of thing all the time?' she wondered. 'And he's grown so accustomed to it that he's trained his Pokémon to fight these people on their own? What's happened to my baby boy?'

Pidgeotto wasn't faring so well with having to dodge both Beedrill and James. Using a Gust, he managed to find the real Beedrill and hit him with a Wing Attack, not having enough room for a Clothesline Dash. He surveyed the battlefield in the window of opportunity and saw that things were going south. Squirtle couldn't handle both James and Weezing at the same time, and Jessie already had rubber gloves on to grab Pikachu if he tried to attack her while dodging Bulbasaur's attacks and trying to kick him.

He managed to knock Beedrill to the ground with a Whirlwind, but he couldn't ignore what his eyes saw.

'What if we lose?' he thought with slight fear. 'Ash will be devastated.'

Something started bubbling up at that feeling, and Pidgeotto shook his head, focusing back on the battle with Beedrill, using Quick Attack. He had to dodge another bolt at Delia's warning, and concentrated on his desire to protect rather than the fear of loss.

'I won't lose! I _can't_ lose!' Pidgeotto internally vowed as he rammed into Beedrill, cracking the layer of fulgurite. 'I'll protect Pikachu! I'll protect Ash!'

He regained some distance, shooting up before hovering in the air. He let out a trilling battle cry and flashed white, causing the Pokémon and humans battling to stop in shock. Beedrill barely managed to pull himself up, a bruise forming on his thorax.

"No…" Jessie uttered in shock as Pidgeotto started to change and grow. "NO! James, shoot it down before it's too late!"

James quickly took out the cartridge he was using and put in a full one to ensure that he could fire long enough to knock the evolving Pokémon out. Pikachu noticed and called out to Squirtle, "[Give me a boost!]"

Right as the blue-haired agent took aim at the evolving Pokémon, Pikachu ran up to Squirtle's cupped hands.

James fired and the Water Pokémon threw his teammate into the air, on a course to intercept. Pikachu cried out from the shock, but forced his body to take in the electricity, even as he felt overloaded. The criminal rapidly stopped the attack, and Pikachu fell to the ground with the residual sparks dancing across his fur.

He fired it back, forcing James to hold the gadget to absorb the incoming attack or get shocked. Jessie cursed and pointed, "Weezing, Beedrill, attack! Take that bird down before-"

The two Pokémon charged, but the glow faded as Pidgeotto completed his transformation into Pidgeot. His formerly pink crest had grown longer and turned yellow with orange highlights on both sides, along with his tail feathers changing to be all orange instead of pink and beige. Aside from that, the only change seemed to be his size, having grown over a foot taller and with an impressive wingspan to match.

He looked down at his two current opponents and blinked out of sight with Agility. Team Rocket's Pokémon only had time to look stunned before Pidgeot caught them both with a Clothesline Dash, sending them crashing back to Team Rocket. It hit so fast and so hard that Weezing didn't even have any time to ride the preceding wave of force to dodge. He got hit and his faces dented before his back was flattened against the hardened surface when he crashed. His body went back to its previously spherical shape, but he was clearly unconscious along with Beedrill.

"[Everybody get back!]" Pidgeot called to his allies.

Bulbasaur grabbed Pikachu with Vine Whip after the Electric Mouse Pokémon stopped his attack and Squirtle, surprisingly, kicked Delia to the ground before hefting her up over his head at the waist. With that done, they ran off while Pidgeot stayed behind.

Meowth picked up the message as well and warned, "Jessie, James, maybe we'd better get going while da going's good!" His fear was even more pronounced when Pidgeot zoomed towards them.

James aimed the Zap Sapper at the approaching Bird Pokémon, but blinked in surprise when he turned to go around them instead.

At least until Pidgeot continued flying around them in a circle, picking up speed all the while.

As the strengthening winds picked up sand from the beach around the mineral portion, all three agents' expressions turned resigned as Jessie and James recalled their unconscious Pokémon.

James fixed the Zap Sapper to his belt, so as to not lose it, while muttering, "I'm beginning to question if chasing Pikachu is best for our careers. I mean, look at what's happened whenever we try."

The wind started to look more substantial, appearing as a funnel.

"We fail…" Jessie grumbled while stuffing her hair down the back of her blazer so it wouldn't get as messed up.

Team Rocket got picked up by the new tornado, looking extremely bored as they crossed their arms and began to spin around through the air as it sent them spiraling upward.

"And end up blastin' off…" Meowth deadpanned, "whether forced ta run or sent flyin' wit' da twoip's help." Then he waggled a claw in a circle, as if to move on, "Welp, should we say our tagline? I think we're movin' out over da ocean now."

"Let's," the other two agents agreed.

All three cleared their throat.

* * *

"H-how…" Misty panted, "did Team Rocket run… this far… that fast… like it was nothing…?"

Brock was in slightly better condition, but not by much, "I just- hah… I just hope Pikachu was able to hold out."

They pushed themselves to keep running and exited the forest to reach the shore, but they stopped as they heard a roar of wind and felt a powerful suction. The two Gym Leaders held onto the trees as they saw a giant tornado move over the ocean, trading its sand for water as a familiar trio of voices shouted, "Looks like we're blasting off agaaaaain!"

The cyclone moved out towards the horizon and they looked at the beach to see a large stretch of crystallized sand and a Pidgeot hovering in the air above it. The bird didn't seem to notice them, only confirming Team Rocket's departure before flying off towards the town.

"What was that?" Misty asked. "Did a wild Pokémon send Team Rocket packing?"

"I highly doubt it was wild if it's heading towards town," Brock answered. "But we should probably check to make sure Ash and Pikachu are safe before we figure out the details."

They speed-walked the rest of the way across the beach and the Pewter Gym Leader picked up a shard of the fulgurite while he was at it to send to his siblings back home. It wasn't every day that you could find "petrified lightning".

* * *

Ash waited in bed, anxious that he couldn't go out and help. He believed in his Pokémon being able to fend off Team Rocket, but the young Trainer wanted to see to make sure that his mom and Pikachu were all right. Even when he looked through the window, it was too far away to get a clear image of what was happening since Gyarados got recalled, so he sat back in his bed to wait while pondering what he'd have to do to counter the leviathan Pokémon.

'Okay, it got recalled, so one of the moves I have should be good for at least countering it,' he mused. 'Maybe Poison Leech? Probably, yeah, if it was out of the water. And if Pikachu could get onto its back or tail, then he could shock it directly without Team Rocket interfering with that Zap Sapper. Kingler could probably put up a good fight underwater, but he'd be at a huge size disadvantage… But if it comes to that, I should win the first time since I have a rebreather and Team Rocket doesn't know that yet, so I could command Kingler more effectively. But only the first time, since Gyarados' Trainer will probably get one after that.'

His strategizing was cut short when he heard a tap on the window. Ash turned to look and balked when he saw Pidgeot carrying a battered Pikachu in one claw and pecking at the glass to be let in. Forgetting his illness for now, the Pallet Trainer rushed to open the window and Pidgeot landed on the sill with his free foot, having to fold his wings to fit in the opening.

Ash took his starter from Pidgeot, cradling him and worrying over his injured state, "Pikachu! Are you okay?"

"[I am now…]" Pikachu answered as he held onto Ash's shirt and clung closer, relieved to be back with him.

The Trainer immediately rushed to his backpack and pulled out a Super Potion before setting his Pokémon on the bed, looking over Pikachu to spray the worst injuries. Pidgeot waited patiently, and once Ash made sure that Pikachu was recovering, he turned to the bird.

"Thanks for bringing Pikachu back, Pidgeot…to?" He blinked as he really got a close look at Pidgeot now. The Flying-type stood around as tall as Ash now and his features had changed. In fact, the boy would wager that Pidgeot could fly carrying him on his back. "You look… wait, did you evolve? That's amazing!"

He fished Dexter from his jacket pocket and couldn't help but point the device at Pidgeot from habit, both to identify his new form and get some information on it.

 ** _"_** ** _Pidgeot, the Bird Pokémon. The evolved form of Pidgeotto. It can fly at twice the speed of sound at an altitude of nearly one mile."_**

Ash closed the Pokédex, "You evolved to fight Team Rocket off?" Pidgeot nodded in answer, and the Trainer hugged the Bird Pokémon, "Thank you. Thank you for protecting my mom and Pikachu."

Pidgeot was slightly surprised by the hug, but didn't find it at all unpleasant, so he rested his head on Ash's shoulder before the Trainer pulled away. Remembering the other reason for the trip, Pidgeot spoke while lifting one of his legs.

Ash looked down and noticed a napkin with some writing on it fastened to Pidgeot's leg with a hair tie. He took it off and read it to find a message.

 **"** **Dear Ash,**

 **"** **As you may have guessed from Pidgeot's appearance and bringing Pikachu, your Pokémon and I managed to defeat Team Rocket. I'm taking your other Pokémon to the Poké Center, but I figured that you wanted to see Pikachu to make sure he was fine. Pidgeot should be fine to stand guard. He's in the best condition of your six Pokémon.**

 **"** **Be sure to thank Pidgeot properly, we wouldn't have won without his evolving and new power. After your Pokémon are healed, I'll come back with some lunch. Get some rest until then.**

 **"** **Mom"**

Ash smiled at the message and patted Pidgeot, who quietly trilled at the affection. Then he yawned and decided to follow his mom's advice and sleep. Taking another dose of his cold medicine and drinking the rest of the water, Ash got back into bed next to Pikachu and pulled the sleeping electric mouse closer before passing out. Pidgeot stood guard near the wall, eyes closed, but listening for any intruders.

* * *

Misty and Brock came out of the elevator and immediately made their way to their hotel room. Brock noticed that the door was still locked and took that as a good sign before using his key to open it.

The two Gym Leaders looked inside to see Ash asleep with Pikachu and Pidgeot standing near the wall with his eyes open to regard them before closing them again.

Brock let out a quiet sigh of relief, "Thank goodness. That Pidgeot must've been Ash's. It looks like his Pidgeotto evolved." He turned to Misty, "He seems to be fine, let's take our own Pokémon to the Pokémon Center."

* * *

The sound of the ocean waves slamming against the shore were the only company of a Slowpoke fishing with their tail. When the splashing of the water changed, he just looked as he saw a Gyarados practically crash against the shore along with two humans and a Meowth. The Dopey Pokémon paid them no mind and went back to fishing.

James was the first to get up, rushing to some bushes, uncovering their beached boat to get an Antidote. He found one and ran it back to Gyarados, who was quivering from the poison still in his system, "Open wide."

The leviathan did so and James sprayed twice into Gyarados' mouth, the sea serpent closing his mouth around the mist before making a disgusted face from the flavor. Regardless, the purple blush disappeared and he let out a sigh of relief.

The male agent patted Gyarados while touching his forehead to the sea serpent's crest, "Thank you for getting us back to shore, Gyarados." The Atrocious Pokémon's release had been enough to break the cyclone from him releasing his own Dragon Rage to counter the spin of the Gust. After that, the water managed to make him last long enough to get them to the side of the island with Pokémon Land, where they'd left their boat.

James took out his golden Poké Ball, "You take a nice long rest now and recover. You've earned it." He recalled Gyarados and the ocean water filled the imprint the massive Pokémon had left in the sand.

Jessie wrung the saltwater out of her hair with a growl, not giving any further comment. Meowth also got on all fours to shake his fur dry.

"Well dat went about as well as usual when we try ta catch Pikachu," he snarked. "Seriously, we've captured a horde of Beedrill, da Moon Stone, Pokémon Tech's Pokémon, da Squirtle Squad, but da _instant_ we try takin' dat _one_ Pikachu, our luck turns bad. Da twoip wasn't even _there_ , and he still managed ta get in da way!"

"Still, we wouldn't have found half of those targets if not for tailing him," James added. Then he held up a finger in suggestion, "Maybe it doesn't _have_ to be about Pikachu if we just follow him and target any rare and powerful Pokémon he comes across."

Jessie growled as her hair still looked messy and drooped from the heaviness of the saltwater, "We _will_ catch that Pikachu and show the twerp that nobody messes with us!" Fire seemed to ignite in her eyes, "It stopped being about Team Rocket long ago, we'll make him _pay_ for humiliating us over and over!"

"Jessie, seriously, we need to consider our jobs," James tried to reason. "If we spent all of our resources trying to catch Pikachu, imagine where that would land us. Not even Meowth's favor with the Boss's Persian would save us from his anger."

His partner growled, but he put a hand on her shoulder to calm her, "We'll get Pikachu, eventually. But we should plan our attempts carefully. 'Measure twice, and cut once,' as they say, okay? We need to cover our bases and pay our dues."

While the two human agents conversed, Meowth went to the boat to get some medicine for his burns and some food. But as he went through the bags, the communicator tied down at the back of the boat started beeping.

The feline agent's eyes widened and he called, "Hey, you two work out Pikachu later! We got a call from da Boss!"

Those words made them stop their discussion instantly and dash over to land in the boat behind Meowth, despite their disheveled state. They sat on their legs as Meowth pressed the button to answer.

"Greetings, sir," Meowth politely started.

Giovanni actually seemed somewhat surprised at their state, Persian tilting his head in curiosity as well. His voice disguised, the leader asked, "What on earth happened to you three?"

"Another attempt to steal Pikachu gone wrong, unfortunately," Jessie answered with a slightly furrowed brow.

James held up a finger, "Silver lining, we didn't need to spend any money for this try, so we didn't lose anything."

"Send me the report later," Giovanni dismissed. "I have an important assignment for you three. Rumor has it that there's an underground tournament going on at Gringey City tomorrow evening. I want you to enter, win the prize money and scout for potential recruits."

"Prize money?" Meowth asked with a gleam in his eye.

"The assignment is twofold," the boss explained. "First, it provides the chance to see if your battle skills are up to par and get some Pokémon and recruits. Your repeated losses against this child give me cause to doubt your ability. Second, I recall you saying that you'd lost quite a few of your supplies along with your balloon. This should help even out your financial losses from replacing them, _if_ you can win. I've already locked in on your new communicator and sent the balloon, along with instructions to get to the tournament."

The trio bowed their heads, Meowth saying, "We thank ya for your generosity, Boss."

"Rest assured," Jessie added as they raised their heads again, "we'll win and show you why we're still the top team."

James nodded, "If it's the rank and file Trainers in the tournament, there should be no doubt that we'll be victorious."

"And we'll make sure ta scout da best battlers for Team Rocket, Boss," Meowth finished with a grin.

Persian meowed something, and the feline agent raised an eyebrow, "Oh, is dat a _dare_ , top cat? Alright, I'll enter too. I _am_ a Pokémon, after all; I can battle for myself!"

Giovanni chuckled, "Excellent, the more of you that compete, the better the odds of you winning, but one should stay out of the competition to comb the Trainers that fight well, but lose. As for you, Meowth, I've included something in the balloon that perhaps you should've received when you first came here. It's something that I had fashioned for the Squirtle Squad, but should suit you as well. Wouldn't want one of the competitors to get any ideas to catch you, would we?"

"Thanks again, Boss," Meowth nodded.

"Now, I believe your balloon should be arriving via airmail any moment now," the Rocket leader informed as his eyes checked another monitor. "Report in the day after the tournament. That is all."

"Yes, Boss," the trio replied in unison.

* * *

With their Pokémon freshly healed, Misty and Brock returned to their hotel room to see Ash awake now and checking his Pokédex with Pikachu sitting next to him on the bed. Pidgeot opened his eyes to check that it was them before closing them again. His Poké Ball was with Delia, so he just stood guard.

"Hey, Ash," Brock greeted. "Feeling better?"

Ash nodded without looking up from Dexter, "Yeah, I took a nap and I feel much better than this morning. A hot shower and a good night's sleep should have me good as new tomorrow. Team Rocket attacked today, right?"

The two Gym Leaders blinked at the abrupt change of subject and the Pallet Trainer continued, "And they have a Gyarados now. I could see that Pokémon from my window, so I decided to look it up and try to find some weaknesses. Brock, it turns out that while it's a Water-type, it's also a Flying Pokémon and weak to Rock-type moves, so that'll be good to keep in mind."

"It… didn't _look_ like it could fly," Misty commented bemusedly.

Ash shook his head, "I wouldn't put it past Team Rocket to teach it somehow."

"You're not mad that we nearly lost Pikachu?" Brock cautiously asked, cutting to the center of the issue.

"He's still here, isn't he? And I'm definitely going to be more careful in the future, so no. There's no point in getting mad about something like that. A Gyarados is nothing to sneeze at. If Team Rocket was packing _that_ kind of power, then it's no wonder that it was a close call."

"If Pikachu hadn't run away, then we might've been able to take down that Gyarados ourselves," the redhead pointed out with her hands on her hips. Pikachu's ears drooped a bit in guilt.

Ash pulled the sad Electric-type closer and glared at Misty, shutting his Pokédex, "Don't blame Pikachu! Besides, you know what would've happened if Pikachu attacked Gyarados? One of Team Rocket would just absorb the bolt with that electricity absorbing gun."

The Cerulean Leader blinked as she honestly hadn't considered and couldn't argue that. Ash pressed his advantage, "Yes, Pikachu might've been able to make a difference, but what if he _had_ stayed and you two lost? He'd never be able to outrun all of Team Rocket's Pokémon at the same time. Your Pokémon would be down, and Team Rocket would win."

"Personally, I'm glad Pikachu tried to come get me, since I could send my Pokémon ahead with my mom to save him," the Pallet Trainer reassured his Pokémon as he patted him on the head.

Brock blinked, "Your mom? You mean you didn't leave to save Pikachu?"

"She wouldn't let me," Ash answered.

There was a polite knock before the lock to the door clicked and the two Gym Leaders turned to see who entered, their eyes widening as they saw Delia. Her hair was down, as she had used her own hair tie to get her message to Ash, but they still recognized her. She carried a tray with a steaming bowl on it.

"Ash, I brought you some…" she paused for a moment as she saw Misty and Brock, "soup."

"Thanks, mom."

They sweated a bit as Ash's mother passed right by them, realizing that they'd just told her earlier about leaving Ash in the hotel room when he was sick. She stood back up after handing him the tray and said, "Ash, aren't you going to introduce me to these people?"

"Oh, sorry," Ash said as he blew on a spoonful of the food. "Mom, this is Misty and Brock, my friends. Misty, Brock, my mom."

"Delia Ketchum," she politely supplied with an incline of her head. "You know, you two should really get your Pokémon checked at the Poké Center. I appreciate your concern for Ash, but you should get your Pokémon healed after they fought so hard against Team Rocket."

"But we already- oof!" Misty was cut off as Brock elbowed her and she noted that Delia had a beaming smile on her face that seemed to say she wouldn't take no for an answer.

The redhead glared slightly at Brock while rubbing her side, "Yeah, I guess we should. Glad to see you're okay, Ash. We'll be right back."

The two Gym Leaders left and waited outside in the hallway, not needing to make the trip to the Pokémon Center.

* * *

Ash felt that his mom had something specific to say when she sat down, so he set aside his food to give her his full attention.

"Yeah, mom?" he asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Ash… You said that those criminals don't always target Pikachu, right?" Delia asked.

Ash nodded, having a feeling where she was going with this, "Yeah, they've gone after other Pokémon too."

"…I know that I'm being selfish to ask this, but why do you try to stop them?" she asked. "They're very dangerous, and while I can understand protecting Pikachu since he's your Pokémon, do you have to keep putting yourself in danger?"

Delia looked sad as she spoke, but Ash sighed, "I didn't tell you this before, but the third time that I met them, the time with the Beedrill hive, they nearly won." His mom gasped, and he continued, "All of my Pokémon except Pikachu were weak and they still had three left, including Meowth."

Ash smiled a bit at Pidgeot still near the wall, "Actually, it was Pidgeot that saved us that time, too. He was still Pidgeotto back then, but his Sand Attack gave us the cover to run away." Delia looked and the Bird Pokémon nodded in confirmation.

"That taught me that Team Rocket would keep getting stronger to try beating me," Ash explained. "I started training really seriously from then on, and managed to fend them off outside Pewter City, and even have the advantage before the match got interrupted by Officer Jenny coming."

Delia nodded to show that she understood, "I see, and then…?"

"Then, when Team Rocket took the Moon Stone, that taught me another hard lesson," the Pallet Trainer sighed, seeming very tired suddenly. "If I don't stop them, then who can? It's my fault, and I have to take responsibility, since they're growing stronger to beat _me_."

Ash petted Pikachu, "And today I learned that I need to always be on watch so that I can protect Pikachu. Getting sick today almost got him captured."

Delia frowned from him blaming himself. Her son didn't notice before her expression turned neutral again and she nodded with a sigh of her own, "I understand. Try to finish your soup before it gets cold, I should really go find my tour group." She stood up and left the room key and his belt of Poké Balls on the chair she'd been sitting on.

"Maybe we could spend the day together tomorrow," Ash offered as he took his tray off the night stand. It wasn't steaming anymore, but it was still warm. "Would you like that?"

She smiled, touched by the offer, "Yes, I would. I'll meet you outside the hotel tomorrow morning, okay?"

* * *

Brock and Misty waited until Delia walked out of the room. But before they could say anything, she grabbed them both by the wrists and dragged them down the corridor.

"Wha- hey!" Misty protested.

Delia continued dragging the two Gym Leaders and took them down the hall, away from Ash's room. Once she felt they were far enough away, she let them go and turned around, looking quite angry with them.

Brock wisely decided to keep his mouth shut and let Delia vent, since he knew no rational defense would work on _him_ if one of his younger siblings was endangered or left alone while sick. True, Ash was older than most of said children and knew how to take the medicine, but that was no excuse, especially in light of a Team Rocket attack—and even more so, an attack that they couldn't protect Pikachu from.

Sadly, though, Misty was short-tempered and the youngest of her family, so she had no such foreknowledge and asked, "What's the big idea?"

"Well, to start, you two left Ash alone when he was sick," Delia curtly answered with a disapproving expression.

Misty felt a slight twinge of guilt, but answered, "I _did_ ask if we should stay, but he insisted that we go out."

"And you _listened_ to him?" Delia asked, not appeased in the slightest. The two winced as she continued, "I love Ash, but he doesn't pay enough attention to his own health or safety."

She looked down sadly, "Do you know that today is the _first_ time I've heard about those Team Rocket criminals chasing him?"

"He's been fighting them off really well," Brock reassured.

Delia glared at him, "He shouldn't _have_ to! You two are older than him aren't you? _You're_ supposed to keep _him_ safe, not the other way around! And if today's events are your idea of 'protection', if it were up to me, he'd be going back to Pallet Town with me this _instant_!"

Now the Pokémon breeder could see why Ash's mom had dragged them all the way down the hall. 'She doesn't want him to feel pressured to quit his journey for her sake.'

"But it's not, since it's his dream to become a Pokémon Master," she continued. "And now he feels he has an obligation to head off those crooks' plans whenever he can. But that's not what really bothers me."

She glared at both of them before turning to leave, "What bothers me is that he blames the threat to Pikachu on himself for getting sick instead of _you two_ for being unable to protect Pikachu."

"Pikachu ran away," Misty defended.

"With good reason if you couldn't even stop the other two from catching up to help the third one!" Delia fiercely countered over her shoulder. Then she pressed the button for the elevator, "I hope you two shape up. Otherwise, if my son comes back a broken person, I'll know who to blame."

The doors opened with a ding and she stepped inside without another word before they closed.

Brock started heading back to the room with Misty following behind. The redhead quietly fumed at Delia's words.

'What does she know about battling? If it was a water battle, then-' She blinked. 'Then… Gyarados would've totally destroyed my Pokémon.' Then she shook her head, 'That's what Pikachu's supposed to be there for. But Pikachu's not my Pokémon, even if he does like me…'

Misty realized just how much she relied on Ash, and she didn't like it one bit. 'Anybody can use type advantage; I'm _still_ a more experienced Trainer!'

So like most things she didn't like, she denied it.

* * *

Team Rocket floated in their new balloon, leaving the speedboat behind, as they could always steal another one and leave their balloon from their departure point to keep their supplies safe. James looked at the map and saw where Gringey City was located before directing them in its direction.

"We won't be able to go after the twerps for a while," Jessie grumbled.

James shrugged, "Can't be helped. It's a direct order from the Boss. Besides, this'll give us some time to plot our next move against them and let you get used to those iron heels."

"In da meantime, let's plan out which of yous battles and which scouts out da losers," Meowth suggested as he held onto the side of the basket to look over the horizon.

James nodded and Jessie begrudgingly put aside her thoughts of vengeance for the time being.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter! No notes today, and there's nothing much to say about its swift posting other than the fact that I already had most of this chapter planned out and it didn't take me long to fill in the gaps. You may have noticed that this follows no episode, which is because Ash and Team Rocket managed to avoid both the Pokémon Shipwreck and the Island of the Giant Pokémon. There's a little bit of a gap because of that, so I filled it in.**

 **With that said, see you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	15. Chapter 15: Rest for the Weary

**Review Responses:**

 ** _Qatzol_** **: Ash has learned since Viridian Forest that if he doesn't keep getting stronger, Team Rocket _will_ win. Also, answering your questions in order: Yes, no, not until later (if at all), and it's on my list. Thank you for your review and your patience. Enjoy the chapter.**

 ** _Snoozing Lurker_** **: Yeah, James is genre savvy enough to realize that continuing to chase Pikachu is doomed to failure, while Jessie burns with the fires of vengeance. I'm glad that you like my characterizations of the villains. I worked hard to make sure they were accurate while still retaining their competence.**

 **Yes, I'm aware that all of the other generations exist, but I'm working with a season before those Pokémon were shown. I've already given a cameo to Team Rocket's Delibird, and I'll consider throwing more in, but only where appropriate.**

 **Thank you for debating the teleporting Magmar point with me, it really helps my story to be challenged (so long as the challenge is with reasonable logic).**

 ** _Bored321_** **(Answered via PM): In order:**

 **1\. Pokémon can evolve with the right emotional motivation if their "Level" is high enough, and Pidgeotto demonstrated Agility as early as Chapter 8.**

 **2\. Team Rocket didn't notice Pikachu's first underground assault. I fixed the typo that you mentioned in the PM, so that's settled.**

 **3\. I'll take "not the greatest" as a compliment since you didn't say it was bad. And guilty as charged on the plot armor. I won't deny it. I'm glad you liked Team Rocket's reaction to defeat, though.**

 **4\. Delia was stressed and irrational after finding out about Team Rocket, so she lashed out at Misty and Brock. As you acknowledged, Brock understood this from being a guardian to his siblings himself. So yes, the irrationality of her argument is intentional.**

 **5\. Indeed, Misty refuses to acknowledge that Ash has grown stronger than her.**

 ** _The King of Ranting_** **: If you like Team Rocket stuff, then you'll probably like this chapter.**

 ** _Snakespur_** **: How fortunate, as the next chapter is here.**

 ** _Malsyn_** **: I'm glad that you like my story, and the lack of popularity is no real problem to me. I knew when I started this story that it was going to be a bit of a cult classic. The switch from ineffectual sympathetic Team Rocket to competent and affably evil Team Rocket can be quite jarring.**

 ** _sanedimentio_** **: Thank you for your praise, and I'm not really sure on both of the other points. We'll see.**

 ** _BrightNova169_** **(Answered via PM): In order:**

 **1\. I'm glad that you like Delia's character. It took me quite a bit of deliberating to get where I did in developing her.**

 **2\. Pidgeotto/Pidgeot's main character trait was always his loyalty to Ash, and it really ticked me off when Ash just plain forgot about his second caught Pokémon. Yeah, since Ash trained Pidgeotto much more often and even used him quite a few times, in addition to there being the dire need for the bird to have more power, he evolved much earlier than in canon.**

 **3\. As Chapter 9 demonstrated, Pokémon that are attacked while evolving don't suffer many ill consequences aside from taking damage. Koffing tanked a Water Gun during his evolution into Weezing, and it didn't cause any lasting effects. The danger here was that James intended to zap Pidgeot during his transformation and keep up the attack until he was knocked out. Luckily, Pikachu intercepted the attack and absorbed it, in addition to keeping James busy.**

 **4\. Yeah, Team Rocket notices that, because, while they still have their never-give-up attitudes, they also have a dose of competence to make them realize that the universe is against them. Jessie stubbornly wants to go on, but yeah, James is letting her know that if they're going to go for it, they should do it carefully.**

 **5\. Delia was _not_ happy that her son (or at least his Pokémon) was doing most of the fighting while the two more experienced Gym Leaders did nothing, so yeah, I just felt that her letting the two of them off the hook without saying anything would be out of the character I'd written for her.**

 **6\. Brock was trying to reassure her, even if it still backfired, rather than try to justify his loss to Team Rocket. Even if it wasn't the smartest move after acknowledging that no rational defense would work, he wasn't defending per se. His heart was in the right place, at least.**

 **7\. Misty… is heavily in denial that Ash has surpassed her. She's used to his help, but also wants to believe that she's still a better Trainer since she has more experience (at least two years since she was presumably one of the Gym Leaders since age 10).**

 **8\. Starting with this chapter, it's still six days until the ferry is leaving for Maiden's Peak. Six days is a long time, if you really think about it.**

 **9\. I have plans for Gary, but not a confrontation. Yet.**

 ** _FlameUser64_** **: First off, it's never my intention to "bash" a character. Misty's character was very rough at the start of Pokémon, and even after she started accepting Ash as a Trainer in canon, she usually insulted him or lashed out physically. Ash is less competitive, being more focused on Team Rocket and training his Pokémon, so he doesn't react much except to call her out on it, like in Chapter 11.**

 **Also, one of the key differences here is that Ash unquestionably won at Cerulean Gym, instead of having Team Rocket interrupt. Misty hates to lose, and as such, I interpret her continued criticism of Ash (like in canon after he beat Giselle, who beat Misty) as her being in denial about the issue.**

 **She rarely gives out praise openly to him in the early episodes, so I don't see why her attitude would change here if it didn't after Ash's victory against Giselle. In the episode, Ash even asks "Why can't we be like that?" referring to the heartwarming interaction between Joe and Giselle. Misty immediately reminds him that he still owes her a bike instead of any courtesy.**

 **She's nice to Pokémon early on, and small children in later episodes, but can be pretty mean to Ash most of the time around now. Sure she mellows out, but that's later. Heck, in the super early episodes, she was essentially following him instead of traveling with him. Ash even tried to lose her by running on ahead in canon (which happened offscreen in this fanfic).**

 **So yeah, while it may accidentally come off as character bashing, I don't see any instance where Misty acted out of character relative to the first season.**

 ** _trying to be so oh original_** **: It's here.**

 ** _Guest (October 13th)_** **: Provided you're following this story somehow, i.e. bookmarking it, you'll see what I have planned for Jessie. Not this chapter, sadly, but soon.**

 ** _Guest (December 6th)_** **: Thank you, and yes, I do have something planned different for the Safari Zone. But it'll be a while before we get to that chapter, so you'll have to wait and see.**

 **On with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 15: Rest for the Weary

While Ash and co. slept in their hotel room, Team Rocket spent the night flying in their balloon. Right now, it was James' shift to keep them on course while his two partners slept. He'd already released Gyarados to do some hunting in the sea below them around sunset, so that was fine as far as he knew.

He glanced back at Meowth, who slept curled up with an unconscious grin while Jessie slept against the wall of the basket. The feline agent had his new accessory worn on the base of his tail—a metallic band with (according to the instructions) a chip inside that functioned similarly to a Poké Ball, marking Meowth as connected to Team Rocket's private system. It would prevent another Trainer from catching Meowth with a Poké Ball.

The instructions had also said that it was inspired as a way to keep hold of the Squirtle Squad, but that Meowth got one with a few less security measures since he was loyal to Team Rocket. It didn't go into what extra features, but Meowth trusted the leader's judgment and wore it proudly. The protection meant a lot to Meowth because it represented that Giovanni saw him as not just a Pokémon, but a valuable member of Team Rocket that couldn't afford to be lost.

Then James' eyes drifted to Jessie, and he let out a light sigh through his nose. Despite his best efforts while she was still awake, he hadn't managed to convince her to stop actively targeting Pikachu. She just wouldn't stand for repeated defeat without some sort of vengeance against Ash. He focused back on the horizon to muse about the Trainer in question.

Lately, the agent had come to respect Ash as a Trainer. He still didn't necessarily like him, and would continue helping Jessie come up with plans to steal Pikachu, but the criminal had to admit that Ash knew what he was doing when training his Pokémon. The difference between fighting the two Gym Leaders' Pokémon and Ash's was clear as day. And if his Pokémon alone tip the scales so drastically against the trio's own, then it seemed as if taking one of them would require more than a bit of luck – that they seemed to lose whenever targeting Pikachu – or avoiding the battle altogether and striking before the boy could release any other Pokémon.

'But back on subject,' James thought while pondering the rapid growth of their Pokémon along with Ash's. 'We get stronger, he gets stronger; we win some, he wins some. And no matter which side wins, one or both of us always learn something. If we were on friendlier terms, it would probably look like a rivalry rather than being arch-enemies.'

He let out a sigh, wondering just what the future had in store for them, both the Rocket trio and the Pallet Trainer.

"Penny for yer thoughts?"

James glanced to see that Meowth was leaning on the lip of the basket now, hanging by his arms with his feet supported against the wall and his tail swishing as he raised an eyebrow at him.

"Just thinking about how we got where we are, and what the future might bring," the blue-haired agent answered while facing forward again to plot his course. Then, after a pause, he double-checked that Jessie was asleep and turned back to Meowth, "You know as well as I that continuing to go after Pikachu will only hurt us, right?"

Meowth checked on Jessie again and let out a quiet, cynical chuckle, "Heh, I didn't live on the streets as long as I did by bein' stupid. If I got da sense dat I was in over my head, I'd back off, lay low and/or skip town. Maybe come back wit' a better plan, but more likely just stay outta da way of whatever it was."

James nodded. The talking Pokémon had told a bit of his life before Team Rocket to his partners in exchange for them telling about Pokémon Tech and their time with the bridge bike gang, mainly that he was a stray Pokémon. James knew very well that there was more to the story since Meowth never said why he learned to talk. All the two had been told was that he learned how over time, but not why.

Still, pulling his thoughts back to their discussion, James asked, "Do you have any ideas on how to convince her?"

"Ha!" Meowth gave him a look. "Ya serious? We could make a slideshow presentation, and she'd _still_ wanna go after da twoip. We could talk about how common a Pikachu is, that da Boss might not be impressed with dat, _and_ how much money we've lost tryin' ta catch Pikachu and she wouldn't care. She said it herself, she wants ta get even wit' da lead twoip, an' dat's dat."

James gave a light chuckle, "Is that 'lead twerp' nickname going to be a running thing for you now? Besides, isn't Ash the youngest?"

"Age don't mean squat in da world o' Pokémon," Meowth countered. "If they give ten-year-olds those Poké Balls, then it all comes down ta who trains harder and thinks faster. An' you're one ta talk; _you_ just called 'im by his name."

The agent blinked in surprise before composing himself, "…So I did. Well, annoying or not, I feel that his skills are worth respecting, even if I don't like him for getting in our way. It'll prevent me from underestimating him in the future. Anyway, now that his two friends have seen Gyarados, we can bet that he'll have some sort of plan the next time we meet. I'll have to start trai… Ahh…" James' plan got interrupted when he let out a yawn.

"Go ahead an' get some rest for now," Meowth offered, scooting along the lip of the basket and grabbing one of the control lines with his tail and the other with one paw. "I'll keep us headed towards Gringey City. I tink my feline sight sees da harbor over there, so it ain't much further. Wit' any luck, I'll land da balloon outside da city in da next hour and we can all sleep till daylight."

James nodded and stepped away from the lines, giving a tug to the burner to keep the air in the balloon hot enough for Meowth to fly it over the buildings. He sat against the wall opposite of Jessie and closed his eyes.

* * *

While Meowth focused on steering their hot air balloon, Jessie thought about what she'd overheard. She had only pretended to stay asleep after being woken up by Meowth asking James about his musings. While she was more than a bit angry that her teammates talked behind her back, the fact that they felt the need to do that made her reconsider.

'I might have the odd spark of… okay, a _lot_ of things make me angry, but that doesn't mean that I can't be reasoned with,' she internally protested, handily ignoring that James had already tried reasoning with her. She had been bent on revenge fresh from their defeat, so that wasn't the best time to try an appeal to logic anyway. 'Still, I have to admit that attacking the other two twerps while the boy was sick was our best chance.'

The magenta-haired agent internally sighed, 'James is right; the Boss won't tolerate us chasing Pikachu forever. Still, I'll find another way to get back at that twerp. Not just another win, but something important. We'll hit him where it really hurts, someday, and make him regret ever crossing Team Rocket!'

With that decided, Jessie resolved to talk it over with James and Meowth tomorrow morning and went back to sleep.

* * *

The sun rose over Porta Vista and the city of Acapulco, famous for its beaches and resorts. Ash got up as the light shone into his and his friends' room, having intentionally left the curtains open a bit, and did some stretches. He felt back in top form, so he went into the bathroom to wash his face and change to put his swimsuit on under his clothes. Brock and Misty were still asleep, but Pikachu woke up at the sound of the door closing.

Ash came back out momentarily, wearing his usual outfit over his trunks, and saw Pikachu waiting for him.

He chuckled, "Morning, Pikachu. I'm all better now, see?"

Pikachu climbed up his Trainer and took his usual spot on Ash's shoulder. The duo then looked at Brock and Misty still asleep. They probably weren't used to getting up without an alarm clock. Both Ash and his mom were early risers usually, their bedroom windows always facing to the east and uncovered to allow the sun to wake them up. **(1)** His mom ran a diner, so she had to get up early to go in for work, and Ash's bedtime was usually pretty early back home.

"We should let them sleep," Ash decided. "Yesterday was pretty tense with Team Rocket and everything. I'll leave a note." He looked around, "Paper, paper… A-ha!"

After a moment to write down that he was going to explore Acapulco with his mom, Ash left the room with Pikachu, making sure to quietly close the door and lock it with his room key. He then walked towards the elevator, figuring that if he was awake, his mom was probably already on her way.

* * *

"So you want to resume your lessons in Pokémon battling once we're back in Pallet Town?"

Delia nodded at Professor Oak as they walked to meet with Ash. He was very understanding about her disappearance yesterday after she explained that she heard Ash was in town. The professor wanted to check on him too, so he asked to come along. While Delia had been looking forward to spending the day with just her and Ash, she couldn't think of a reason to say no, so she allowed him along. Besides, she had her own request to make of Professor Oak.

While she had every confidence that Ash could protect himself from what she'd seen of his Pokémon yesterday, she still wanted to learn battling so she could help in some way. She didn't know how, yet, but she refused to do nothing while her son fought against a criminal organization.

The professor scratched the side of his face, "Well, there's not much else I can teach you about theory, and the next batch of starters won't be in for quite a while yet. Why the sudden interest in battling?"

"Well, my son seems to have fun training his Pokémon, so I wanted to give it a try myself," Delia answered. While she wanted to tell Professor Oak about Team Rocket, she didn't feel that it was her place to tell him what Ash went through.

Oak nodded, "It _can_ be quite fulfilling. Very well, I'll see what I can do about finding you a Pokémon."

Delia nodded back, "Thank you." When she turned her head, she saw Ash coming out of the hotel doors with Pikachu on his shoulder and his backpack on. He moved to wait by the entrance, but noticed the two adults.

The young Trainer smiled, "Mom! Professor Oak?" He blinked in confusion for a bit, but then seemed to realize as he lightly slapped the side of his head, "Oh, right, Pallet _Town_ tour group. Good to see you too, Professor."

"Likewise," Professor Oak returned with a nod.

After that, they moved on to start the day, Ash wanting to see what was available at the shops first since he couldn't go yesterday. When the Professor asked why, both Ash and Delia excused that he'd gotten a small cold after swimming in the ocean.

* * *

Jessie and James moved through the vents of a factory, having already visited quite a few. They'd arrived at Gringey City last night and slept until daybreak. Jessie had her talk with James and Meowth, and while surprised, they were glad that she'd agreed to plan more carefully about Pikachu instead of just repeatedly attacking them. Since the tournament wasn't until nighttime, the trio decided to get some work done for catching other Pokémon instead of idling about.

Gringey City was known for its numerous factories and power plants, causing widespread pollution of both the air and water. Because of that, the city was mostly abandoned aside from a skeleton crew managing the electric grid. **(2)** All of the factories' production lines were fully automated as well save for deliverymen that picked it up every once in a while. Oh, there was a police station and a Pokémon Center, but they were mainly a formality there because every large city had one.

To summarize, Gringey City's shortage of population and lackluster police presence made their automated factories the perfect targets for the Rocket trio's supply runs. They'd already raided one for radio parts and electrical components and another for more scrap metal that they could reshape for use in various devices. Meowth was already at work back at the balloon with building some of the gadgets they'd wanted.

The grate of the air vent popped out before getting pulled back in and the two agents dropped straight into the storage room where racks of weapons stood. Jessie and James looked around with flashlights, the desolate factories unlit.

They browsed the various shelves, uninterested in taking up arms. If a member of Team Rocket outright murdered someone out in the open, the police force would crack down even harder trying to find them and make their operations that much more difficult. In the shadows, though… well, that was the job of the organization's notorious hitman.

Anybody who spent an extended period of time at HQ knew of him well, and even Jessie and James had heard whispers during their intermittent stops there. One of Giovanni's first agents, sole remnant of Squad 2 after his partner was promoted to Admin, Proton.

The man, barely a few years older than Jessie and James despite his numerous accomplishments, held much respect in the agency for being as ruthless as he was cunning. Between his occasional missions – it wasn't often that Giovanni ordered a hit; too many would draw the police's attention – he even taught tactics at the Team Rocket Academy or ran deals in the leader's stead.

Nobody quite knew why he was so fiercely loyal to Giovanni, but there were multitudes of rumors and theories. A lot of the grunts said the only reason he wasn't an Admin was because he didn't want to get tied down to desk work. And while the Black Tulip was Giovanni's right hand, Proton was just as knowledgeable about Team Rocket's inner workings from working close to him.

But above all else, his achievements and loyalty aside, when the leader of Team Rocket wanted somebody gone, rare as it was, Proton ensured they disappeared within a few days—a few hours if it was urgent. And he always did it in a way that Team Rocket couldn't be implicated.

Their thoughts about the man ended when they spotted the weapons they were looking for. While firearms didn't hold much use for them, they needed a specific type of gun as the model for one of their gadgets. Stealing one already made just saved them some money and time by modifying it instead of building it from scratch.

Jessie shone her flashlight over the rack containing a set of them and smirked, "Perfect. Just what we need to get just what we want."

"We'd best grab two," the male agent suggested. "We might not always have access to these, and having a back-up is always good."

"Right."

* * *

Ash looked around the stalls, Professor Oak close by, but doing some browsing of his own. His mom had left, saying that she wanted to go to the beach later and forgot her swimsuit. With that, the two males were left to browse the stalls. Pikachu hung onto Ash's shoulder, having seen all of the stalls yesterday.

But truthfully, there wasn't much that interested Ash. Most of it was tourist stuff like seashell jewelry, clothes and other items that didn't hold much value to him. He had to carry everything he bought, so buying non-essential baggage wasn't high on his list.

The Pallet Trainer let out a slight sigh, marveling at just how much his priorities had changed. Pikachu tapped the side of his head with a questioning, "Pika?"

Ash smiled at his Pokémon reassuringly, "I'm fine. It's just that all of this stuff is souvenirs. Nothing I can really use."

"Hey, kid. You want something useful for battle?"

The boy grunted questioningly and turned to where he heard the voice coming from. He saw a tanned old man with brown hair beginning to gray standing behind a stall with multiple pink shells on small lengths of fabric.

"I saw you looking the same as I do, bored with all the tourism," he answered while beckoning to his stall with a smile. "Then I happened to overhear what you said to your Pikachu there. If it's a battle item you want, you can't go wrong with a Shell Bell."

"Pikaa?"

"A Shell Bell?" Ash repeated with a curious expression as he walked over.

The man gestured to the seashells, "A Shell Bell is a unique item that heals the Pokémon wearing it a little bit for every hit they land on their opponent."

"How does this little shell heal my Pokémon?" the Trainer asked with a raised eyebrow.

The salesman tapped the side of his nose, "It's the special properties of the imported shell and the salt that treats it. I'm afraid that if you're going to ask where to find it, that's a trade secret."

Ash tilted his head, "And how does it work with calling out and returning your Pokémon?"

"Ah, that's where the beauty of technology meets natural remedy, son," he said while picking up one of the Shell Bells. He flipped the collar inside out and revealed a small microchip. "It keys to the Pokémon's DNA and cloaks the item with it. Poké Balls register the item as part of the wearer and contain it too."

He held up a finger, "And before you ask, it's one size fits all." To demonstrate, the man stretched the strip of fabric before it constricted back to its regular size.

Ash looked up with a smile, "I'll take one. How much?" While he hadn't earned back quite as much from buying his rebreather, the Trainer battles he'd won on the St. Anne had gotten him a lot of money.

* * *

Back at the hotel room, Misty and Brock looked at the note that Ash had left behind, and Misty pouted, "He just left us behind?"

"He hasn't seen his mom in months," Brock reasoned. "He probably just wanted to spend some time alone with her."

"Well, I'm going to the beach," the redhead announced. "Some sunbathing after yesterday sounds great."

"I'll go later," Brock replied. "I've got some errands to run first."

Misty blinked in surprise as she headed to the bathroom to change. She turned around, "What kinds of errands?"

"Just errands," he answered with a shrug. He waved back as he turned to leave, "Have fun!"

* * *

Ash took a deep breath of the ocean air while standing in his swimsuit, "Now this is more like it! A day at the beach to just relax."

Delia smiled as she set up an umbrella over her beach towel, where Ash's backpack and clothes were. "I'm glad you're having fun, Ash," she said. Professor Oak had just set up a reclined folding chair and sat down to lounge in the sun, and Pikachu was sitting on the sand nearby with a little pail and shovel to start making a sand castle.

The boy seemed to think of something, "You know what? I shouldn't enjoy this with just Pikachu. I'll let out my other Pokémon too." He went towards his clothes where his belt was draped over them along with his backpack, and Pikachu followed along.

"Oh, that reminds me, actually," Professor Oak chimed in. "My grandson came to this island looking for different Water Pokémon. I think he said something about a beauty contest too, for those girls traveling with him? He's doing quite well for himself, anyway. He has three badges and has caught 60 Pokémon."

Ash paused, and Delia was worried about how he'd take that since she knew he only had eight Pokémon himself. She knew from when her son and Gary were children that they started to compete in everything, and this sort of thing wouldn't sit well with him.

But instead of any negative reaction, he just shrugged and picked up his belt of Poké Balls, "Good for him."

The Pallet Trainer plucked five of the spheres off the belt before putting it back over his backpack. "I've had some time to think since the last time we talked, and my Pokémon aren't pushovers, even if I don't have that many. And in the end, all official battles are six-on-six at the most. Plus, numbers don't matter to me, so long as they're all my friends."

Professor Oak smiled, "Well spoken, Ash. Every Trainer has his or her different style of training, and I'm glad to see you've found yours." He was happy to see that Ash had matured so much over the course of his journey.

Delia looked at her son a little bit more sadly. While she was proud of her son for letting go of his competition with Gary, she knew now that it was because he had far more important things to worry about. The fact that he was shaped by near-constant danger made that pride bittersweet.

Ash opened his Poké Balls one by one while having his own private musings. Truthfully, he hadn't given Gary much thought since Professor Oak's news at Bill's lighthouse. And with all the commotion at the St. Anne and Porta Vista, he'd been a little too preoccupied to think of their rivalry.

The reason for his pause was from surprise at the realization that he didn't really care about how many Pokémon Gary had. And in that moment, he'd considered Kingler and Pidgeot who had evolved just to help him. The young Trainer realized that he didn't need huge amounts of Pokémon so long as the ones he did catch would be there for him.

On that note, said Pokémon besides Pikachu were lined up in front of him. They seemed just a little bit confused at first that there was no battle. But Ash threw his hands up, "We're at the beach, and it's a vacation day. Go for a swim, make a sand castle. Live a little!"

The Pokémon looked at each other and shrugged before splitting up, Pidgeot taking flight while Squirtle and Kingler went into the water with Ash. Pikachu managed to draft Bulbasaur into his mission to make a sand castle, and Butterfree perched atop Delia's beach umbrella to sun himself.

* * *

All of the Pokémon released had drawn her attention, and Misty saw where Ash and his mom were while looking for a spot of her own.

'Hmm… Brock said that he probably wants to spend time with his mom, so I'll go find a different spot.'

That aside, she didn't really want to be near Delia right now, and she got the distinct impression the feeling was mutual.

* * *

Brock wandered through the forest he'd been in yesterday, where Team Rocket had attacked him and Misty. He'd already picked up a few supplies for their journey once they left for Hutber Port, but now he had something else to take care of.

Yesterday was a bit of a wake-up call for him—both the fact that Jessie and Meowth defeated his Pokémon so easily before moving to Misty's, and having Ash's mother point out their inability to help. He'd underestimated Team Rocket and always figured that he, Ash and Misty would be able to drive them off if the crooks came for them.

He still didn't like having his Pokémon battle if he could help it, but what if Ash needed his help for something crucial and he failed again? This time Delia was able to intervene, but the next time, they wouldn't be so lucky. 'Besides,' he tried reasoning to himself to quell his reservations, 'battling is a healthy part of a Pokémon's development, in a way.'

With that decided, he released all three of his Pokémon before he could change his mind. An hour or two of training would be good for a start.

* * *

Ash surfaced a short distance away from the shore. He was getting tossed about slightly in the waves, but Squirtle and Kingler were nearby and would be able to help him get back to shore even if he wasn't already a decent swimmer.

He leaned back, letting his upper body float in the water as he looked at the clouds. 'This is nice, just having a day off. After a defeat like Team Rocket went through yesterday, they'll probably need a day themselves to recover, so it's good to have spent the day with mom now while I have the chance.'

The Trainer knew that the crooks would likely come back. They always did. But for now, he wanted to just relax with his Pokémon and his parent.

Speaking of which…

"Squirtle, Kingler!" he called as he floated upright again.

The two Water Pokémon surfaced nearby, the turtle with his sunglasses put away for fear of losing them in the ocean.

"You two having fun?"

The two smiled and nodded.

"I'm glad. But even though we're relaxing at the beach, we can't hold back in our training," Ash said in a mockingly serious tone. He then grinned and put his hands under the water, "So… I use Splash!"

The two Water-types shielded themselves from the spray of saltwater and Kingler let out a raspy chuckle before splashing his Trainer back. Squirtle stood surprised for a moment, but then smirked and decided to join in. He'd show his Trainer why it was a bad idea to challenge a Water-type to a splash fight.

Laughing merrily, the Trainer and his Pokémon splashed each other, finding the play to be quite relieving after the back-to-back battles. When, at Squirtle's prompting, the two Pokémon hosed their Trainer with Water Gun, Ash went down to dodge and came back up to retaliate with a "Water Gun" of his own using water he'd taken into his mouth.

Ash stood proud after his counterattack and noticed Pidgeot flying overhead. He met Squirtle and Kingler's eyes, and the three of them smiled mischievously.

"Hey, Pidgeot!"

The Flying Pokémon turned his head to receive a Water Gun to the face, the pressure dialed back to where it didn't hit harder than a bucket of water. Once the stream died down, Ash, Squirtle and Kingler laughed at his state as water dripped down his beak and crest. The bird hovered overhead for a moment before he smirked.

A shadow eclipsed the laughing trio, and when the Trainer and his two Water Pokémon opened their eyes, they saw a rather large wave generated by Pidgeot's wind. Not overly tall, but high enough to go over Ash's head. It splashed them, and Pidgeot let out a trilling laugh back before resuming his flight.

For a moment, all was quiet in that patch of the sea, but then the two Pokémon surfaced followed by their Trainer.

Ash tried to rub his eyes clear of the saltwater, even though he chuckled from Pidgeot's payback. Still, it felt like he had some clumps of seaweed wrapped around his body, particularly heavy around his back. But he couldn't untangle it without restoring his vision, so he stood up as straight as he could.

As the Trainer blinked his eyes clear, Squirtle and Kingler (whose eyes were fine because of their acclimation to water) stared at him for a moment before stifling chuckles. Ash noticed and could finally see again to find his Pokémon trying hard not to laugh.

"What?" he asked curiously. "Do I have something on my face?"

Cheeks puffed with stored laughter, Squirtle wordlessly pointed over Ash's shoulder. It was at this point that the "seaweed" around his chest started moving.

Ash looked down and saw two appendages instead of the plants he expected and looked over to see that the bundle on his back was actually a Pokémon. Not one that he recognized, but mainly blue with a somewhat cylindrical body and two large red gems at the top of their head, one on each side, with a smaller one nestled in the general area of their forehead. The aquatic Pokémon seemed quite happy as they ran their tentacles over his upper body.

At that moment, Squirtle and Kingler couldn't hold it anymore and burst out laughing. While ordinarily a Pokémon would be a threat, the fact that this one was more interested in groping Ash was just too funny to them.

The raven-haired boy stared back at his passenger and took a deep breath to calm himself. He didn't know exactly what Pokémon this was and didn't wanting to scare them into attacking.

"Hi," he greeted, trying to keep his tone casual. "So you're…?"

"Tentacool!" they said happily, still fondling him, one of the tentacles moving up to brush his face.

Ash nodded, "Thanks for clearing that up. Well, Tentacool, would you mind letting go now?"

The Pokémon looked a bit put out, but then looked at Kingler. While still amused, the Pincer Pokémon had calmed down and was watching for any signs of attack. And that large claw of his looked intimidating.

Tentacool detached themself from Ash and floated in the water next to him.

"So, Tentacool, since you're here, do you wanna join our water fight?" he offered.

Tentacool beamed, and then shot a low power Water Gun at his face.

"Oh, it's on now! Let me show you _my_ Water Gun!" Ash challenged with a grin as he sunk into the waves slightly.

* * *

Delia watched with an amused giggle as her son played with both his Pokémon and a wild Pokémon that had come by. She was just glad to see that while all the battles had shifted his priorities, they hadn't worn on his personality.

'I hope it stays that way,' she prayed with her eyes closed. 'I could never bear it if my son came home with his kindness lost.'

She had certainly meant it when she told Brock and Misty that she wished to take Ash home with her and make sure he stayed safe. But if he hadn't given up on his dream in light of the danger at this point, then he wasn't likely to give up for her, and she wouldn't put him in the position of choosing his dream or his family. Even if Delia wished he would keep out of danger, she'd set aside her fears and believe in him.

But even if she was going to support his decision, she refused to sit at home doing nothing. Delia planned to start training some Pokémon as soon as she could. She didn't know how or when, but if she ever happened to meet with anybody from Team Rocket, she'd be ready.

Her musing was cut short when Ash started coming back to the shore. Pikachu greeted him and proudly showed the miniature castle he and Bulbasaur had built—two mounds decorated with battlements with a wall connecting them.

Ash smiled, "Great work, Pikachu."

"Tentacooool," the Jellyfish Pokémon mournfully called from the water as Ash's Pokémon climbed out and followed him on land.

Ash turned around and saw that Tentacool was lingering in the shallows. He walked back to the water and kneeled down with the waves sweeping at his legs to look the wild Pokémon in the eye.

"Hey, I'm going to be leaving in a few days," he explained. "But it doesn't have to be goodbye. Do you want to come with me?"

Tentacool looked up in surprise, and Ash held up a hand, "I should warn you, there _are_ some dangerous people after me right now. Can you battle?"

The jellyfish nodded and turned around. The boy was about to ask what they were doing when his jaw dropped in response to what happened next.

A beam of red light shot out of Tentacool's smaller forehead gem and hit one of the cresting waves in the distance. Upon impact, the energy caused a small explosion that reduced a good chunk of the wave to mist.

"How interesting," Professor Oak noted from his chair. "I'd heard that Tentacool could refract sunlight through their body to fire a laser, but the records always said it was from their eyes. I guess that entry will need an update." **(3)**

Ash was suddenly very glad that he didn't provoke the Jellyfish Pokémon during their first meeting.

But his surprise rapidly changed to a smile as he said, "All right, then. Welcome aboard."

Tentacool tackled and latched onto him again in glee, "Tentacool! Tentacool!"

"Hahaha! Alright, alright!" He made his way over to his backpack as quickly as he could with the extra weight bogging him down and throwing off his balance.

Ash took the empty Poké Ball he always kept on his belt in place of Pikachu's and said, "All right, you're going to be spending some time at Professor Oak's lab for a bit, but I'm sure he has someone looking after the Pokémon there. Sorry, but I'm not going to cut a day off short for one of my Pokémon."

Tentacool nodded and Ash tapped the sphere against them. Once they were contained, the button glowed without shaking for a moment before it turned off and the sphere transferred itself to the lab.

He took out his Pokédex and looked up Tentacool's information, revealing the Jellyfish Pokémon to be a girl.

While Ash was looking through some of her other information, like typing and moves, Butterfree fluttered off of Delia's umbrella and went over to him, speaking.

"Free, Free-ee, Free."

"Hm?" Ash looked up. "What is it, Butterfree?"

Pikachu walked over from his sand castle and got Ash's attention. He made gestures to let him know that he would pass the message.

The Trainer nodded, "All right, Pikachu, translate?"

Pikachu pointed at Butterfree fluttering in the air, and Ash could easily tell he meant Butterfree to be the first word, "Butterfree…"

The Electric Mouse Pokémon nodded, and then ran over to Squirtle, badgering him for something. The turtle seemed reluctant, but pulled his hand in and loaned Pikachu his sunglasses. Once he had them, Pikachu ran back in front of Ash and fell back to lie down with his hands supporting his head, the picture of relaxation.

"Lounging? Vacation?"

Pikachu discreetly pointed at the sky and the boy looked up to the sun with his hand shading his eyes for a moment before he got it.

"Sunbathing," he said with a finger raised. Pikachu raised a fist with a brief cheer and gave Squirtle's sunglasses back. The Pokémon then gestured at the Pokémon professor lounging nearby.

"Professor Oak sunbathing!" the Trainer declared with confidence. Delia giggled and Professor Oak laughed a bit as the Pokémon face-faulted into the sand.

Pikachu quickly stood back up with his small arms crossed in an x, "Pikaaa-chu." He gestured to Butterfree fluttering in the air, then to the sun, and then Professor Oak.

"Butterfree… sunbathing…" Ash hit his fist into his palm, "Ah! Butterfree's saying that he can sunbathe at Professor Oak's!"

"Pi- _ka_ -chu!" Pikachu cried while holding up a fist in celebration. Butterfree also chimed in with a "Free!"

"Are you sure, Butterfree?"

Butterfree nodded, and Pikachu drew an R in the sand before gesturing to the ocean and making a few punching motions. Ash thought about what it could mean before nodding.

"You're right," he agreed in a low tone. "Vacation aside, we'll need to be ready, and if Tentacool can't get out of the water easily, then we'll need to train her up as much as possible while we're still near the ocean." He avoided mentioning Team Rocket specifically since Professor Oak was right there.

Both Pokémon nodded, and Pikachu swept the letter in the sand away with disgust.

With that done, Ash took Butterfree's Poké Ball and recalled him before switching him out for Tentacool.

"Now, how to let Tentacool get onto land?" Ash wondered. "I'm about done with playing in the water."

"Pi!" Pikachu called. Ash looked and saw his Pokémon run towards the ocean while the tide receded and then dig a trough towards the portion of the beach where the other Pokémon were at. He then circled around through the sand, digging a shallow pool before jumping out, covered in sand. When the tide came back in, the sea water traveled through dug channel and filled the pond.

The Trainer nodded, "Good thinking, Pikachu! All right, come on out, Tentacool!"

Tentacool materialized in the water, but the glow didn't even fade from her body before she jumped and latched back onto Ash. This time, Ash was caught off guard and fell back onto the sand.

"Tentacool!" the Jellyfish Pokémon celebrated as she ran her tentacles over Ash's body again.

Ash lifted his head and shook the sand out of his hair, "Okay, that's going to need some working out."

* * *

"All right, we're not _made_ of materials, so dis is da biggest that I could make it for Gyarados. It should be enough ta fit around his head spike, and it's set to dat headset."

James nodded while adjusting the small microphone running over his cheek to make sure it would pick up his voice when he was putting it on for real, "Excellent. While I do enjoy riding Gyarados, I could operate something else while directing him with this."

"It's a shame that we can only equip it to one Pokémon at a time, though," Jessie added while setting her own microphone and looking at a metal choker with a speaker. It was twice as thick as Gyarados's, but much smaller, as it was made to unfold or collapse to fit Beedrill and Fearow, respectively.

Meowth shrugged, "I'm no radio expert. If ya wanted more Comm Collars, then we'd need more microphones, and dat'd get hard ta keep track of."

He then looked at the setting sun, "All right, dat's enough inventin' stuff for today. We can finish da other one after da tournament. It's just modifyin' da gun ta make da Return Rifle."

Jessie and James looked down at the hunting rifles they'd stolen from the factory, the parts they didn't need already taken out, like the trigger and the bolt, or detached for later reaffixing. The disassembled guns and all the parts were lain out on individual tarps, and the two agents decided that they could finish the project within an hour after the tournament.

They nodded and stood up, Jessie saying, "You're right, we should get our disguises ready and show up early to sign in."

"I'll loan you Weezing and Mankey so that you'll have three Pokémon including yourself," James added as he pulled his tarp closer to the balloon.

His partner dragged hers over as well, and Meowth threw the two Comm Collars into the balloon basket before hopping in himself.

The sound of rustling fabric came out from the aircraft before two bundles of clothes were tossed into the air in different directions for Jessie and James to catch. Once in their possession, the two agents proceeded to put the outfits on over their uniforms. The female agent had long ago discovered the benefit of a short skirt: a pair of pants fit over it with little trouble. And Team Rocket's standard issue boots were thin enough to easily fit into socks and shoes, so long as they went about a size up from their genuine fit.

Once in their disguises, Jessie putting on a pair of sunglasses as well, James took out his golden Poké Ball. He released Gyarados, who appeared coiled up on the ground.

"Gyarados, guard the balloon, if you please," he requested. "It's a little too big to hide quickly, and we'll be leaving quite soon after the tournament."

The sea serpent nodded and slithered forward to curl around the balloon and supplies outside it to form a loose perimeter. Once that was done, he settled down to wait.

The blue-haired agent chuckled and patted the giant Pokémon, "Thank you."

"All right!" Meowth shouted as he jumped to the lip of the basket and then leaped over Gyarados's body to land on the ground.

He had a trench coat that went all the way down to his ankles, with only brown loafers poking out from below. It was buttoned up, so nobody would be able to see his tail wrapped around his waist to keep it hidden. He had a fedora along with a wig of straight black hair down to his chin to cover his cat ears and whiskers and sunglasses to hide his eyes. With his paws tucked away in his pockets, aside from being very short and his mouth being slightly odd compared to normal people, he looked every bit like a human.

James nodded with pride, "Where would you be without the clothes that I tailor for you?"

"This'll just make it easier ta get signed in if people think I'm human," Meowth retorted. "Now, Weezing an' Mankey?"

"Oh, right," the male agent handed over the two shrunken Poké Balls which Meowth pocketed.

With that done, the trio started heading towards Gringey City.

* * *

Once the sun started setting, Delia decided to call it a day. Professor Oak had left a couple of hours beforehand, wanting to check in on Gary before he left.

Ash and his mom had started walking back to the hotel he was staying at, with Pikachu beside them, when Delia seemed to recall something.

"Oh! Before I forget…" She reached into her pocket, "I got this on short notice, so I didn't have time to wrap it. I know it's late, but Happy Birthday."

Ash blinked and realized that his birthday had come and gone already. **(4)** His mom caught on and looked astonished.

"You forgot your own birthday," Delia said in disbelief.

The boy shrugged helplessly as they stopped their walk back, "I've been busy, and there aren't any calendars in the wild."

"Well, this will at least tell you what day it is, so now you have no excuse," she retorted with a small smile.

Delia held her hand out, and he looked to see a black device. It looked like a stopwatch, except it had an extension at the bottom, like a handle. The small piece of plastic at the top serving as an ornament had an emblem on it, a stylized S. And aside from a green button on the lower right of the front and a silver button on the side, the only feature of the device was a square screen in the center which had a digital readout of the time, month and day.

Ash raised an eyebrow in curiosity as he picked it up to look, "What's this?" He noticed that a nylon strap was fixed to the back and tried it on, fixing the device to his wrist with the handle going over his forearm. The watch seemed to register the change and the readout switched to accommodate for its new orientation.

Delia smiled a bit wider, "It's a Pokégear."

"Mom, when did you have time to get this?"

"Yesterday afternoon, after I left, I special ordered it to be shipped to the Pokémon Center overnight," she answered. "I got you the most durable model, so there's little chance of it getting broken on your journey. It's also proofed against electricity, heat and cold, and water."

"Wasn't it expensive?" Ash asked worriedly.

Delia shook her head, "Nothing's worth more than knowing you're safe. There's a phone installed in there, and I've already put in the house phone number. I want you to call me every now and again. If you need something, need to talk, or if you just want to tell me stories about your adventure."

"I will, mom," he nodded. "Thanks."

"Also, promise me that you won't needlessly risk your life," she requested in a slightly firmer tone. "I understand that you'll always want to help people, but promise that you'll never put your life on the line if you can avoid it."

Ash opened his mouth for a moment, but no words came out.

"Please."

"I… I can't. I'm sorry," he apologized while looking away. "I want to, but I can't lie to you. If one of my Pokémon can do it better than me, then I'll send them. But I'll probably have to follow to direct them." He looked her in the eye again, "But what I _can_ promise is that I'll never try to hide the truth from you again."

Delia smiled wistfully, "You'll always call to let me know that you're safe?"

"At least once a week," Ash reassured.

"Then I believe in you," she replied. "Just always remember that you have a home to return to, okay?"

"I will."

The two hugged for a moment before resuming their walk to the hotel. Pikachu eventually climbed up to perch on Ash's shoulder as dusk set in.

Once they arrived, Ash said his goodbyes before heading inside.

Pikachu caught his attention with a question, and Ash shrugged, "We still have a couple more days before we _have_ to leave, so let's hold off on training until tomorrow."

* * *

At an abandoned warehouse in Gringey City, as the moon rose up in the sky, the Rocket trio stepped inside. They took in the decrepit appearance of the rafters, and the great amount of dirt strewn across the cement tiles.

The criminals then proceeded to a specific bit of graffiti on the ground, an odd symbol that had a Poké Ball pattern hidden inside its design. Jessie walked over and stomped on it—twice in quick succession, once, brief pause, and then three times spaced apart evenly, just as Giovanni's instructions had said.

After that, she stepped back and waited. Once a short time had passed by, a tile a few meters away lifted up like a trapdoor. There was a hole underneath it, with a ladder allowing them to climb down.

The trio smirked and made their way down, James making sure to close the hatch behind them.

* * *

 **Yeah, another non-actiony chapter. Seems that while I avoided the shipwreck and the Island of the Giant Pokémon episodes, my story's naturally filling those episodes in with events that, while important, may not appeal to all audiences. I know that a lot were probably expecting the tournament today, but that's going to have to wait until the next chapter if I want to keep all of these to at least a semi-uniform length. Either way, that's the way storytelling goes sometimes. Action can be passed over in favor of character development, which I feel this chapter focused on a lot.**

 **Good news is that with winter break here, I'll be able to work more on getting chapters out.**

 **Notes:**

 **1\. Not much of a change to Ash's character to have him be an early riser to sunlight, but I'm doing it anyway (plus, my memory on the anime's hazy, but I don't recall him sleeping for long past sunrise very many times). He's still a heavy sleeper, but natural light is usually a way to get him out of bed. In this case, the reason he overslept on his first day was because he was up later than he usually was and his (in this case) rarely used alarm clock was broken before it could wake him up.**

 **2\. Gringey City, as far as I could tell from the episode, had two people managing the power grid, Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny, and any offscreen assistants that the aforementioned four could've had, which I doubt the existence of. The rest seemed to be all factories and waterways in the sewer. So yeah, that sounds like a fully automated city to me, and it's even confirmed in canon that the city used to be bustling before factories and power plants over-expanded, leaving it all but abandoned afterward.**

 **3\. Even though it's not an official move, it appears in the anime, ergo, it appears here. Plus, it's in the Sapphire, Diamond and X Pokédex entries (even if it says that the beams are fired from the eyes).**

 **4\. I remember hearing that the anime started when Ash was "10 years, 10 months and 10 days old". That means that with "about two months" or travel, he had turned eleven if he wasn't an eternal ten-year-old in canon. But, since this is my fic, it's my rules. So he's officially eleven at this point.**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	16. Chapter 16: A Ray of Hope in the Dark

**Hello, I'm back again! Much sooner this time, thankfully. Nothing much else to say here aside from Happy Holidays.**

 **Review Responses:**

 ** _Bored321_** **(responded via PM):**

 **1\. I'm glad that you approve of Tentacool's addition to Ash's team.**

 **2\. Ash is less concerned about Gary because Team Rocket is a much bigger threat and takes higher priority than in canon.**

 **3\. I know that it's awkward to have had a filler chapter after such a long wait, and I apologize.**

 **4\. Perhaps it is. I admittedly hadn't considered that, and I may incorporate it later.**

 **5\. I'm glad that you like the chapter anyway, and thank you for the review.**

 ** _The King of Ranting_** **: Yes, Gyarados will learn some very powerful moves when James begins training him. So far, the sea serpent's only moves are Tackle, Bite and Dragon Rage, and that still makes him a tremendous threat. We'll see what happens in the later chapters.**

 ** _BrightNova169_** **(responded via PM):**

 **1\. See above for Ash and Gary.**

 **2\. Even though Giovanni _has_ an assassin, he rarely uses him since killings, even "accidental" ones would put the police onto high alert and make standard operations that much more difficult. He prefers to outmaneuver or outgun any of his opponents. Still, you're right that Proton's presence does add a darker element to the story.**

 **3\. Meowth's disguise, while not perfect, has worked before. Seymour didn't suspect anything when he disguised himself as a scientist at Mt. Moon. Also, about Meowth's height: While the Pokédex entry has his height being, on average, 1' 04", the same as Pikachu's height, the two have been shown side-by-side, and Meowth is significantly taller. It could mean their height on all fours, since Meowths typically walk that way, but Meowth stands on his hind legs. I know that he's still very short, but walking on his hind legs, I feel would increase his height by at least 1.5 times.**

 **I could be wrong, but that's just what I think. Maybe everybody just thinks he's a "little person".**

 **4\. His birthday was actually around the time that Pokémon Tech happened, since that's when he said he'd been traveling for "about two months". Considering the circumstances, it's no wonder that it slipped his mind.**

 **5\. Like I said at the end notes, Gringey City being abandoned due to pollution is canon. I just added the automated factories since you just see the two guys running the power grid, Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy. They never hint at any other workers.**

 **6\. As for Brock, how could he _not_ start training after both a crushing defeat and getting chewed out by Delia.**

 **7\. Now what I can answer to your questions:**

 **7.1. Yes, Misty will be upset, especially since Tentacool was identified as one of her favorite Pokémon in canon.**

 **7.2. I actually have their first meeting planned out, but not until later.**

 **7.3. Yeah, those things still have a strong chance of happening, as there's nothing that would indicate those events have changed.**

 **7.4 Don't forget that Misty still has three Water Pokémon to add to Ash's own if it came down to a battle with Gyarados. With six-on-one, they might be able to contain it. Plus, Tentacool would be able to put a timer on said destruction by sneaking in with a Poison Sting. And that would be only if A) James was the kind to have his Pokémon keep fighting while poisoned except in dire circumstances, or B) He was the kind to let his Pokémon rampage through a city where civilians could be hurt. He's proven that he isn't for the former, and I doubt he'd be comfortable with the latter.**

 **He endangered the residents of the hidden village only because he knew that Ash would move to save them. James wouldn't go about needlessly endangering lives.**

 **7.5. Not sure, as that's a fairly vague question. We'll wait and see.**

 **7.6. I know, and I'm so embarrassed about it. Ekans and Beedrill just haven't had any opportunity for me to go into their back stories. Beedrill, at least, I halfway intended him to be bland since he was part of a hive before and had a hive mindset before switching to follow his new "queen". Fearow was easy to write, but I've yet to get an opportunity to go into Ekans' character. Jessie rarely has her Pokémon out except for fight scenes.**

 **Thank you for your support.**

 ** _Snoozing Lurker_** **:**

 **1\. I'll see what I can do about displaying more personality of the Trainer trio's Pokémon.**

 **2\. I never explicitly said that the Shell Bell was going to Pikachu. I've noted the points you made, but I'm going to consider each of their fighting styles before deciding who gets it. (Probably Pikachu, now that I think about it.)**

 **3\. Have you ever known Ash to be held back by limits like that? He'd probably figure some way around it. As for development being a problem with a growing party… I'd already decided when I started this project that I was in it for the long haul. The Pokémons' personalities will come out in their own time.**

 **Tentacool will have her own character development as time goes by. Whether or not it matches your expectations, we'll see.**

 **As for Misty, Ash doesn't really have enough experience to beat her at her own specialty yet. But yeah, he does have enough Water Pokémon to challenge Misty to a three-on-three battle with just them.**

 ** _trying to be so oh original_** **: Whether you mean why they rarely appear or why Team Rocket never used them, I'm glad I could shed some light on it.**

 ** _Guest (December 22nd)_** **: I'm glad that you've enjoyed the story, and the next chapter is here.**

 **Now, on with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 16: A Ray of Hope in the Dark

The Rocket trio moved down the ladder until they reached the bottom and found a tunnel with a light in the distance. They moved towards it until they reached a fork with one tunnel angling down and the other going to the side. Two signs on a single post pointed to both, one saying "Audience", the other saying "Participants".

"Well," James said with a nod, "I guess I'll see you two later." He turned and headed down the side path while Jessie and Meowth went further down.

The male agent hummed as he strolled down the path and came to a table where he paid for his ticket. Looking at the suit he was wearing as his disguise, the woman running it asked, "What's an upper-cruster like you doing here?"

"Just here to see some fights, make some bets, the usual," he answered in a detached tone. "Is there a bookmaker?"

"Eh, I'm pretty sure _somebody_ will be going through the audience looking to take bets."

* * *

Jessie and Meowth got their competitor numbers after paying the entrance fee and putting their names on a clipboard with the number that corresponded at a table in their path and continued on. The clerk had raised an eyebrow at Meowth's appearance, but the disguised Pokémon answered that he was born the way he looked. He'd then shrugged and said that as long as he could pay to compete, it didn't really matter how he looked.

The two arrived in a circular room with spotlights shining down on it from above. It already had quite a few people inside, and Jessie looked down at her own number, etched on a metal ball about the size of her palm, "Fifteen… Mr. Pokémon, what number did you get?"

"Sixteen," Meowth grumbled, not quite happy with the alias his teammates had given him for entering. "Hope there's some sorta shuffling. Ain't much point ta both of us enterin' if we're put against each other in the first round, eh, 'Rachel'?"

A solitary lamp switched on with an echoing click, catching everybody's attention as a middle-aged man in a black tail coat and top hat sat in a rather opulent chair on a raised dais among the stands with two bodyguards flanking him. His other identifying features were graying hair and a well-groomed mustache. A briefcase rested in his lap and a silver-tipped cane lay between his hands, a finger tapping against it as he regarded the participants.

"Welcome, one and all, to my tourney," he intoned in an imperious voice. "You need not concern yourselves with my name. Simply refer to me as your host tonight. All of you came here for one purpose only, to amuse me with your battles and prove yourselves the strongest amongst the underbelly of Kanto for my money."

His mustache curved as the corner of his mouth lifted up, "Whether crooked, desperate or simply here for the battles, the winner of you all shall walk away with five thousand dollars." He patted the briefcase in his lap with one hand at the end of his sentence.

* * *

James surveyed the crowd and took note of those that had visible reactions at the mention of the cash prize and privately smiled to himself. 'So many potential recruits. Those that are after the money, it's either because of greed or hope for salvation.'

He was well aware of the signing bonus that Giovanni gave people for joining Team Rocket. It was meant for people like this that were desperate for money to pay debts or that could be bought.

'All I need to do is pick the best battlers.'

"Taking all bets! Taking all bets!"

He looked to see a man in a dark gray trench coat with a matching fedora walking through the audience with his hands in his pockets. He repeated his call twice more, and James stood up to go meet with him, prompting more to follow once he broke the tension.

'Speaking of picking the best battlers…'

* * *

The lights blared on, bathing the entire underground chamber and revealing the sparse viewers in the stands as well as a small crowd gathered around one in a trench coat. Up at the ceiling, there were some pipes and wires crisscrossing the space above.

"Now, with that said," the host continued, taking his hand off the case, "you each received an iron ball with a number etched on it." One of the clerks from earlier came forward with a bucket as he commanded, "Hand them to my assistant here."

As the man walked by, all of the contestants dropped their numbers inside the container. Once he had all of them, he walked back towards the side of the arena with the dais above it and another person, this one a woman with a clipboard, wheeled in an odd contraption open at the top that had a cylindrical wire frames with the opening above a plastic bin on each side. The clerk with the bucket unceremoniously dumped all of them in at the top before shutting the lid.

He took out a clipboard, "Now, there are sixteen entrants, and this machine will shuffle all of your numbers before selecting two to square off in the first round of battles. From then on, the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals are dependent on the victor of the last round. Jackie?"

The woman nodded and elbowed a button on the side of the machine before the rattling of metal inside rang out, causing some of the closer ones to cover their ears while the two assistants didn't seem fazed.

"Now," the host of the tournament said, speaking up over the machine's din, "there are only two rules of this tournament: One, the battles are three-on-three, substitutions disqualifying the Pokémon recalled, and two, no attacking or otherwise incapacitating the other Trainer. Anyone caught violating either rule shall be forcibly escorted from the premises."

The rattling came to a stop as a ball rolled out of each wire frame tube and dropped into the bins. The two running the machine walked to either side of it, Jackie saying, "So, who's lucky contestant number one, Taylor?"

Taylor picked up the ball and double checked his clipboard, "The first round is… Rachel! Versus…"

"Noah!" Jackie finished. "All other contestants, scram to the chairs on the sidelines."

Jessie smirked as Meowth muttered a quick "good luck" to her before walking off and hopping to sit in a chair, his paws still concealed in his pockets.

* * *

"Well, bookmaker, what are this Rachel's odds?"

"Dunno, I'd have a clearer picture if I knew either's Pokémon. I'll put both Trainers at 3:2 odds."

"One-and-a-half payout, then?" James thought about how much to wager on the first match. While he had every confidence that Jessie would win, he didn't want to draw suspicion among the less than savory crowd.

As the man was swarmed with wagers on both contestants, James took out a thin bundle of twenty dollar bills and said, "I'll wager two hundred on Rachel."

The bookmaker took it and put it in a zipper bag at his waist before filling out a ticket and handing it back to James.

* * *

Jessie regarded her opponent, a teen with indigo hair slicked back wearing a blue button-up shirt with the sleeves torn off and white pants with a silver belt buckle designed after a ship's steering wheel. He also had the image of raging rapids tattooed on his entire right forearm.

"Let me guess," she deadpanned, "a Water Pokémon Trainer?"

Noah snorted, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Taylor stepped forward, "I'll be reffing. Whenever you two are ready."

"Beedrill, go!" Jessie commanded as she threw her Poké Ball out.

Noah smirked, "Heh, too quick on the draw there. Poliwrath, you're up!"

When his Pokémon emerged, he laughed, "Ha, now, let's see your bee fly with soaked-"

"Rush Stinger."

Beedrill blurred forward in a flit of speed and reappeared with both his Twineedles sunk into Poliwrath's torso. From the impact, Poliwrath was knocked back with Beedrill staying behind, letting the knockback pull out his stingers. The Tadpole Pokémon fell to the ground visibly bleeding from the two punctures with a purple blush showing that he was poisoned too.

Noah was shocked speechless, and Jessie just ordered, "Now, Pin Missile!"

Beedrill ascended again and began firing a barrage of tiny needles at the downed Pokémon. Jessie, meanwhile was relieved that she and James had left their Pokémon to train themselves while making their supply runs. Beedrill _and_ Fearow had been quite upset about their loss to Pidgeot, and both worked hard to learn Agility. It still wasn't quite as fast as a proper execution, appearing more as blurred movement instead of outright disappearing, but more than enough for Poliwrath.

"What the hell?! The ref didn't say start!" Noah shouted.

Jessie waved a finger with a smirk, "He said, 'Whenever you're ready.' I was ready; you weren't."

"Ha, ha-ha-ha!" the host laughed while leaning back on his throne. "That _is_ correct!"

Beedrill stopped his onslaught once Poliwrath stopped twitching, and his Trainer called up, "Flawless execution, Beedrill, darling."

The Poison Bee Pokémon felt a small bit of satisfaction at having served her well. It hadn't taken him long in Jessie's presence to elevate her to "queen" status, having once been part of a hive. The only real difference in his mind was which queen he followed.

Noah returned Poliwrath and grinned, "Well, if those are the rules, and it just says no substitutions…" He took out two Poké Balls, "Then let's see you deal with these!"

* * *

"New bet! Will Rachel win with just Beedrill? 10:1 odds! Beedrill gets knocked out, 5:1! Place your bets, place your bets!"

Another storm of money being passed went through, and James thought for a while about what Jessie would do.

He pushed his way to the front, "Fifty dollars on just Beedrill!"

The bookmaker accepted the money and gave a voucher while saying, "Going for the big money here! Anybody else have the guts? _Ten times_ the money if you win! Going once, going twice… gone! The battle's on! No more bets! Stick to your guns and let's see what happens!"

* * *

Jessie looked at the two Pokémon that emerged as Beedrill dodged their attacks. A Graveler and Dewgong shot multiple attacks directly after their release – Rock Throw and ice and water attacks, respectively – and Beedrill flitted around to dodge, slipping into Double Team every now and again.

"Beedrill, Swords Dance!" she called. "Carve up that Dewgong first to give some breathing room!"

"Perfect!" Noah grinned as Beedrill blurred towards the Sea Lion Pokémon with his stingers smoothly changing to swords from repeated practice. "Graveler, Fire Blast at Dewgong!"

Jessie's eyes widened as Graveler shot a five-pronged wall of flames at Dewgong from his mouth, anticipating Beedrill's arrival. But she got a flash of inspiration, "Change to Rush Stinger and use Dewgong as a shield!"

While said Pokémon was trying to slide away from the incoming attack, Beedrill became clearly visible again and drove his stingers into his target's flesh, the sharpened needles easily sinking into Dewgong's thick fat. Having no time to doubt whether he could lift a Pokémon around four times his weight, Beedrill simply heaved as hard as he could. He had his orders and would defeat his opponents. His queen commanded it.

The flames washed over the two Pokémon, the audience barely seeing Beedrill start to move Dewgong in front of him as he moved lower to hide his smaller form. The wall burst in a fiery explosion, leaving the audience with their breath held. The smoke cleared, and Dewgong was badly burnt with a purple blush signifying poison. **(1)** Half of the audience cheered while the other half couldn't see behind Dewgong, but they could guess.

Sure enough, Beedrill emerged from behind Dewgong, but his antennae and left set of wings were burned, leaving him walking on the ground. He buzzed angrily with his stingers still sharpened. Dewgong opened their mouth, likely to fire something, but Beedrill lashed out with a flurry of slashes from his bladed stingers and Dewgong fell over with a myriad of cuts over their body. The Sea Lion Pokémon was down for the count.

"Ha, no problem," Noah boasted, but everybody could see how nervous he was that he took out his own Pokémon for a partial success. He returned Dewgong and ordered, "Give it another Fire Blast, Graveler!"

"Agility as best as you can, Beedrill, darling!" Jessie commanded in retaliation.

The Rock Pokémon shot another wall of flames, but Beedrill could still use his right wings to flit far enough out of the way, even if his flight was a bit lopsided.

Jessie smirked, "It's over." She then smiled proudly at her Pokémon, "You've done splendidly, darling. Now show that punk and brick-brain what a real Pokémon can do!"

Beedrill stayed focused, but felt elated to new heights on the inside. Personal recognition wasn't a big thing back in Viridian Forest. All lived to serve the hive. But with his Trainer, she saw him specifically. It was a new feeling.

Still, he knew that there was a battle to focus on, so he flew up as high as he could with his remaining wings and fired some Poison Sting barbs from the stinger at the end of his abdomen. They broke against Graveler's hide, and he dodged a rock chunk thrown at him.

'Stronger stings,' he decided while sharpening his stingers again to try penetrating with Twineedle. 'More poison. More… poison…'

He flitted out of the way of another Fire Blast and started readying a different approach. The Poison Bee Pokémon tried to concentrate on the poison in his body instead of his stingers. Beedrill willed it to the tip of his one Twineedle and built up the pressure while dodging until it was ready to burst.

With his move ready, he fired a spray of pure venom at Graveler, the stone Pokémon too slow to dodge. His opponent got drenched in the purple substance, and Beedrill buzzed in satisfaction as he saw it take effect.

"Oh-ho!" the host laughed. "Seems Beedrill just learned Toxic!"

"No, no, no!" Noah cursed. "Graveler, take that bee down!"

Jessie chuckled, "You're done. You should get your Pokémon to a Poké Center, pronto, punk. Even if you _could_ take down Beedrill, I still have two more Pokémon."

"Hmm, she's right," the sponsor of the tournament noted while fiddling with his mustache. "The match has lost its tension." He then thumped the metal tip of his cane against the dais, "I decree Rachel the victor!"

"What?! You can't do that!" Noah protested. "Graveler's still standing!"

Taylor shrugged, "Only two rules. Hopefully the rest of you will learn to think about that. Chalk it up, Jackie."

The woman had taken the time during the battle to draw an eight branch tournament tree and wrote "Rachel" at the bottom of the leftmost branch.

Meanwhile, Jessie celebrated with Beedrill, pulling the bug into an embrace while laughing, "Well done, Beedrill! A new move, too! My darling is so strong!"

Beedrill remained awkwardly still during the contact before gingerly putting an arm around his Trainer, careful not to sting her. Again, personal acknowledgment was a new feeling. It was the first time that he'd fought one-on-one, after all. Most of the time, he was collectively praised with his teammates. But this time, as Jessie had said, it was all him.

"We will now select the combatants of the next round," the host announced while Jessie found a seat next to Meowth and took a Potion from her pants pocket. It wouldn't be an instant fix, but it would make Beedrill's wings heal faster.

Noah stormed out in fury from his loss.

* * *

James happily accepted his winnings, receiving a stack of eight hundred dollars that he pocketed, keeping a close eye on the other contestants' reactions as the balls rattled around.

A few looked nervous at the competition being a little stiffer than anticipated, and he immediately wrote them off for recruiting. Those kinds could freeze up at a crucial moment or get hung up by ethics with certain orders. But a majority remained neutral.

Two that immediately caught his attention were a teenage boy and girl sitting next to each other. The girl had wavy seafoam green hair down to her shoulder blades in a ponytail and wore torn blue jeans with a long sleeve purple shirt and the boy, quite muscular, but not overly bulky, with straw-colored blond hair in a pompadour, wore a denim vest with a white undershirt and black jeans. Also with some sort of tattoo on his left bicep, but he was too far away for James to identify it.

Their reactions, minimal as they were didn't have much significance, but what caught his attention was the fact that they were whispering to each other. 'A pair that came together?' James mused. 'Dating, perhaps?' He made a note to keep an eye on them.

But first…

He stood up, "If you'll excuse me, I need to use the restroom."

"You sure?" the bookmaker asked. "They're going to announce the next round soon."

"If I get back before you close the bets, just give me the odds."

* * *

Noah dragged his feet, furiously kicking up the dirt on the bottom of the underground tunnel as he headed back to the surface. Not that he really needed the money, but he had a reputation to uphold, and getting beaten by a girl, with _one Pokémon_ , would make him a laughingstock of the underworld! He just knew it!

He reached the point where the underground pathways connected and found somebody waiting there for him. It was a blue-haired teenage boy in a suit.

Said boy smiled at him and waved, "Hello. I saw your battle, and-"

"Ugh, outta my way, princey," Noah groaned.

"You didn't let me finish," he gently chastised. "As I was going to say, you have very strong Pokémon. I never saw a Rock-type use a Fire Blast before."

"Are you going somewhere with this?"

He clapped his hands, "Very well, since you seem to be in such a hurry, I'll skip to the offer. I'm a member of Team Rocket, and I'm looking for strong Trainers to recruit to our cause."

"Team Rocket? Well how about that?" Noah noted. "I've heard about some of your more recent raids. The St. Anne is still big news, and I even caught a whisper about your raid on Pokémon Tech. You think I could cut it in the big times?"

A confident smile, "I know you could. And we would pay you handsomely for joining."

Noah held eye contact with the stranger for a moment before letting out a single chuckle.

"Heh. Thanks, but no thanks. Not that I got any problem with getting my hands dirty, but I don't do too well with orders."

"Are you sure that I can't convince you?" he asked.

He grabbed a Poké Ball in his pocket, containing a Parasect, and lifted it just outside to expand it, showing that he was ready to fight, "I'm a lone wolf. Are you going to have a problem with that?"

"Not at all," the blue-haired teen cheerfully replied. "I'll let you pass."

"Heh?" Noah hadn't expected that from the "dangerous" Team Rocket.

He explained, "You see, I'm just recruiting tonight. I don't _have_ any Pokémon. If you don't want to join, I can't really force you to. Quite literally, in fact." He stepped aside, "By all means, continue on."

Noah chuckled and shrunk his Poké Ball before putting it back, "Glad we could come to an understanding."

He walked past the other teen feeling satisfied that Team Rocket wouldn't mess with him. The indigo-haired boy didn't register the movement behind him until it was too late.

An arm wrapped around his neck while another wrapped around his chest under his arms. Noah tried reaching for his Pokémon, but couldn't with the arm blocking them, and the loss of oxygen was making him panic, so he started trying to elbow his assailant.

"You'll have to hit harder than that. Even though I could see that you aren't a team player, I had hoped that it wouldn't come to this, so I made the offer. But I'm afraid that I can't let such powerful Pokémon just walk away."

Soon, everything went dark.

* * *

James reappeared in the audience with the Poké Balls shrunken and placed in a pocket he'd sewn to the inside of his suit jacket. He'd opened each one to see what he had besides the three used in battle and to administer an Antidote to Graveler, Poliwrath and Dewgong, along with a Burn Heal for the latter. Turned out that he had a Machoke, Parasect and Electabuzz too. After knocking Noah out – and relieving him of the money in his wallet while he was at it – he'd given him a whiff of a new sleeping agent he'd been developing with Meowth and tossed him into a supply closet in the warehouse above the entrance of the underground arena.

'If it worked, he should be out for a good six hours,' the agent mused.

He turned his attention to the battle and saw two Trainers already started with the next round. One was a contestant he'd singled out for being too timid, and he didn't appear to have any real special Pokémon, judging from the fact that his first (?) Pokémon was a Machop. The other was one of the neutral ones and had a Raticate.

'Hmm… it could go either way…'

"Both are still on their first Pokémon," the bookmaker informed. "Both have 3:2 odds right now of winning. Feeling lucky?"

"No bet," James answered. "Both of them don't look like they'll make it past the quarterfinals, but I'm not sure who's going to lose this round."

* * *

Two more rounds passed after the boy with the Raticate (and Weepinbell, he noted) won, James watching each of them to learn about their Pokémon. The third round had the seafoam-haired girl – Pearl, the assistants had announced – win her battle with judicious strategy.

Her opponent had been too nervous and released all three Pokémon at once – a Pikachu, a Graveler and, surprisingly, a Chansey – allowing her to analyze them. She took down all three Pokémon with her Tangela, the Grass-type's plentiful vines and powder moves well suited to fighting multiple opponents. Even Chansey's Ice Beam had been stopped by Tangela spewing a jet of Toxic venom that got frozen in their stead. After that, a cloud of Sleep Powder put the Egg Pokémon to sleep and Pearl went on to win the match.

James himself had won a tidy sum of one thousand dollars by betting a hundred and twenty-five dollars from his previous win on Pearl winning with just Tangela (at 8:1 odds) and he relieved her opponent of his Chansey afterwards, along with a Nidorino. Once he sent that one to the Boss, they could train it to their cause and then evolve it with a fragment of the Moon Stone.

Since he skipped the offer to join, he'd been able to knock out the unlucky Trainer, take the time to check what Pokémon they had and take the ones he wanted all before the next participants had even thrown out their Pokémon. Neither of them had interested him, and he was there for the drawing of the fifth round.

"Damian!" Taylor called. "Versus…"

Jackie checked her clipboard, "Mr. Pokémon!"

"3:2 odds again?" James asked.

"Both are unknown, so yeah."

"Five hundred dollars on Mr. Pokémon."

* * *

Meowth looked across the arena at his opponent. He had blue hair, a different shade from James', down to his chin with sunglasses on the top of his head and a red neckerchief tied over his collar. He wore a brown vest with a pink shirt and black pants, making Meowth wonder who picked the clashing outfit. The Pokémon didn't understand fashion as much as Jessie or James, but he knew what colors looked good together, and it looked like a discount rack had thrown up on the guy.

Damian smirked and took out a Poké Ball after the referee said, "Whenever you're ready."

"Go, Machop!"

The Superpower Pokémon appeared, but there was something off about them. Their muscular body didn't seem as toned as a normal Machop, and they had signs of old bruises on their back.

* * *

James's neutral expression while watching the battle turned into a frown.

Even the others around the bookmaker could see what the injuries and scrawny appearance entailed and the few that had made bets on Damian withdrew them, putting them on "Mr. Pokémon" instead.

* * *

From her chair on the sidelines, Jessie's eyebrows lifted before she scoffed with an eye-roll.

'That kid's going down.'

While she wasn't overly concerned with Pokémon that weren't hers, so long as they were in good condition for the Boss upon delivery, she knew how much both James and Meowth had a soft spot for them. James because that was the kind of person he was, and Meowth because he _was_ a Pokémon and he knew what it was like to have hunger as a near constant companion from his stray days.

'Serves him right,' she decided. There were certain lines that even Team Rocket didn't cross.

* * *

Meowth looked at the malnourished Pokémon, wondering whether it'd be worth disqualification to maul Damian's face. He quickly decided that he wouldn't let his opponent win by losing control of his temper, but he knew someone that could act in his stead.

The Pokémon popped his neck to disguise a meaningful glance at James, who nodded back.

"Well, seems like I've got da chance ta fight fighter with fighter," he joked to try reining in his anger. He slipped out a Poké Ball and expanded it before tossing it out, "Mankey, go!"

The Pig Monkey Pokémon appeared with a happy chitter and landed on one leg before lowering into his stance. Machop put up his fists in a weak approximation of a fighting stance and Mankey tilted his head at the pitiful display.

"[Is that really all you've got?]" he asked.

"Mankey," Meowth called, "just get it over with. Mega Punch."

The Pig Monkey Pokémon sprung forward, faster than even a healthy Machop would be able to react, and knocked his opponent out cold with a single punch to the face. The crowd was silent, and Damian stared at his Pokémon before glaring.

"What was _that_?!" he demanded of the unconscious Fighting-type. "You get taken out in one hit?" Then he tsked and held out his Poké Ball, "I'll deal with you later, return!"

The host of the tournament spoke up, "If all of your Pokémon are in… that state, then I might just have to give the victory to Mr. Pokémon right now. I won't be entertained by such one-sided battles."

"Yeah, shut up! I'm just gettin' warmed up!" Damian yelled back. He took out two Poké Balls now, "Vileplume! Fearow!"

* * *

Jessie nearly crushed the metal armrest on her chair when she saw the state of Damian's Fearow. Their coat of feathers was thinner than her own, which she felt couldn't be a good sign, and the Beak Pokémon clearly favored their right leg over their left.

Sure, the Vileplume had a discolored, dull flower as opposed to the usual vibrant red of its species, but Jessie didn't own a Vileplume herself, so she was only concerned about its degraded value to Team Rocket.

'Hmm, maybe I can have James tell me where he stashes this punk so I can have a little "talk" with him,' she mused while tapping the heel of her foot against the ground in anticipation. Jessie only wished she had her steel heels to really get her point across.

* * *

Meowth looked at the Fearow, realizing that whether or not they were in poor health, Mankey might have some trouble with both them and Vileplume. Nodding, he decided to go two-on-two. He took out his other Poké Ball and threw it out, releasing Weezing.

"Weeziiing…" the Pokémon said mournfully upon seeing the state of his opponents. Evidently James's attitude had rubbed off on his oldest Pokémon. He glanced back at Meowth,  
"[James is going to help them, right?]"

"Right, Weezing," Meowth replied, pretending that he was giving orders while also answering the Poison Gas Pokémon's question. "I need ya ta keep that Fearow busy until Vileplume's down."

Though he looked like he still had reservations, the Poison-type turned back around and shot forward with an expulsion of air from the holes in his back, stopping Fearow's charge at Mankey and overpowering them rather easily.

Mankey, meanwhile, rushed Vileplume with the intention of finishing them quickly when a cloud of Stun Spore forced him to abort and jump back. At that point, he saw that Weezing had hit Fearow with Sludge and weighed their wings down too much to fly in their state.

Meowth seemed to see the same opportunity and said, "Switch targets! Weezing, clog that flower with Sludge!"

While the Fighting-type rushed the fallen bird, Weezing floated before stopping a distance away from and above the cloud of spores. He then shot the combined stream of gunk that rained down while Vileplume tried to dodge both the initial stream and the splashes. As the Poison Gas Pokémon pressed the attack, his Sludge also thinned the cloud of spores by catching and dragging down the powder as it went.

Vileplume couldn't dodge forever and got covered in sludge, also blocking the hole they shot powders from in their flower. At this point, Mankey had knocked out Fearow and charged Vileplume again.

"I've seen enough," the host interrupted. "This battle is over, and Mr. Pokémon is the winner."

Weezing and Mankey immediately stopped attacking. The latter, after hearing about Weezing's concern wasn't as into the battle as before. He was mainly just using Mega Punch to knock them out as quickly as possible to get it over with.

Damian shouted at the host, but was immediately silenced when the man asked, "Do I need to have you escorted out, boy? My word is final. Or would you rather I make an exception to not having the other competitors attack Trainers?"

Looking around, Damian saw lots of angry and disgusted faces from the other competitors and almost all of the audience. Even he could realize that he was one more outburst away from getting trampled. Despite the number of Pokémon he had, even Damian wouldn't bet he could take down the entire arena.

So he left with a snort of derision, saying, "This lousy tournament ain't worth my time anyway."

* * *

"Thank you," James replied with a smile as he accepted his winnings. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll use some of my money to go out and buy some snacks. All this excitement has worked up an appetite."

* * *

Damian got as far as outside of the warehouse, wondering how he'd punish the Pokémon that had failed him. He'd learned his lesson from last time. If he got rid of the weak ones, then they'd just turn on him the instant they found a bleeding heart, like Charmander with that kid. So, rather than get rid of them, he punished them when they didn't meet his standards.

The fact that all of his Pokémon started falling lower and lower in performance because of his new method escaped his notice, of course. To him, it was their fault for being weak.

The teen was heading towards the edge of the city when a voice called out to him.

"Excuse me. Could I possibly have a word with you?"

Damian turned with a questioning grunt to see James standing in the middle of the road.

"Whaddya want?"

"It's rude to ask questions of someone before introducing yourselves," he chastised. "But I already know who _you_ are, so let me show the same courtesy. I'm an agent of Team Rocket—your Pokémons' salvation."

Damian's eyes narrowed, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"If you don't even realize, then you're even more disgusting than I thought," the criminal retorted. "I'm going to enjoy robbing you, Damian."

At that point, the Trainer realized that the person before him was serious and intended to steal his Pokémon. Reaching into the pack at his waist, he expanded every single Pokémon and released them immediately. Soon, a small army of over fifty Pokémon faced James.

"Ha! How're ya supposed ta fight against all o' these?" he laughed.

Damian's would-be opponent looked at each of the Pokémon, his lips pressing into a thin line. Then he looked at Damian before smirking coldly and taking out a pink rose, "I don't have to."

He raised an eyebrow and asked mockingly, "What? Are y'gonna hit my Pokémon with some flower power?"

"Not them," the Rocket agent corrected while fixing his eyes on him and flicking one of the thorns. "Good night."

With a whip of his hand, the flower flew at Damian. Right as it hit the Trainer's chest, pink gas released from the petals, enveloping his head with a cloud of it. He coughed and tried to wave it away, but his movements grew more sluggish until he passed out.

* * *

With the Trainer unconscious, James addressed the Pokémon in front of him directly. Each and every one of them had some sign of abuse or neglect, which filled the agent with revulsion that somebody could be so needlessly cruel. They hadn't reacted overly much to Damian's passing out, a good sign for what he intended to do.

"It doesn't have to be this way, you know," James entreated. "You can join Team Rocket and live under better Trainers."

The Pokémon seemed surprised at his offer, but hesitant.

"What can that scoundrel do to stop you?" he asked. "And when was the last time you had a full meal? How would you like a Trainer who's there for you? Team Rocket _always_ takes care of their allies."

Now they backed away, and he could tell they thought his offer too good to be true.

James took a step back with his hands out to show he meant no harm, "I won't force you. Look, how about this? If you don't want to take my word for it, I can lead you to one of my Pokémon and you can hear him out as well. If you still don't want to join, then I'll smash all of your Poké Balls, and you can live together and look after each other in the wild."

The Pokémon deliberated among themselves in their own tongues for a time while he waited patiently. After they were done, they looked back to him and nodded hesitantly.

The criminal smiled, "Wonderful. But first…" He regarded Damian's unconscious body with disdain, "I have some garbage to take out."

'Now, what should I do with him?' James mused. Just leaving Damian there or in a dumpster seemed too good for him.

After a bit, he snapped his fingers, "A-ha! I know _just_ what to do. First, I need it to look good. Machop, do you know Mega Punch?"

"Chop," the Superpower Pokémon nodded.

"Excellent. I need you to punch me in the face."

The gathered Pokémon all stared at him like he'd gone mad.

James picked up Damian by the back of his collar, "If you need to get warmed up, you can punch _him_ in the face first."

* * *

'All right, Hart, you can do this.'

The competitor in the tournament with the blond pompadour stared down his opponent, hoping to intimidate them into messing up before the battle even began. Pearl had reassured him that they could still win. She had strategy and he had powerful Pokémon. One of them could pull victory out of the fire.

His opponent started trembling, and Hart reached towards his pocket with a sadistic grin. If he thought Hart's interest was hurting him, then…

"Ah! Go, go, go!" the Trainer yelled in a panic as he released all three Pokémon in an effort to protect himself.

Hart gave a genuine smile now (which scared his opponent just as much) as he got the chance to check what he was fighting, a Golbat, Venonat and Staryu. He wasn't as good as Pearl at coming up with unique strategies, but he at least understood basic type advantages.

'She made _sure_ I did,' he mused, remembering the harsh insistence at him learning to battle too instead of charging people and Pokémon alike with his fists. While picking his Doduo for battle and throwing the Poké Ball out, he once again caught a glimpse of the tattoo on his left upper arm—a valentine heart with a pearl in the center.

Without changing expressions, so as to not ruin his intimidation, he let out a fond sigh through his nose. 'Who am I kidding? I wouldn't have it any other way.'

* * *

Gringey City's police station saw little action. Mainly, it was just there to investigate if there was an accident in one of the multiple factories. All the officers save Officer Jenny herself looked back on the day they'd been assigned to the industrial city with loathing.

As such, Officer Jenny, the only one who slept at the station on call, was surprised to hear the buzzer alerting her of a visitor. She woke up and got out of bed, walking from the lounge she'd converted into a bedroom a while back. Making sure her uniform was at least halfway presentable, she unlocked the door and opened it.

Officer Jenny gasped when she saw a teenage boy dragging another unconscious boy into her station. James had an ugly bruise on one cheek and a busted lip while also cradling his stomach with his free hand, and Damian had a black eye and three bruises on his face. Judging from the blood leaking from his mouth, the officer wouldn't be surprised to find teeth missing as well.

"What happened?!" she demanded. "Did you get mugged? We need to get you both to a hospital right away!"

James pulled Damian away from her reach and said, "I'll visit in my own good time, but I came here first to make sure this monster is behind bars."

Jenny blinked in surprise before lowering her hand, "Why don't you tell me from the beginning?"

"My name is Marcus, I was traveling here to Gringey City to see if I could catch a boat," he lied. While he made a point of telling the truth as often as he could and never telling an outright lie – manipulating how he told the truth with phrasing was fair game, though – the police were always an exception to that rule. He'd say whatever he needed to say to avoid arousing suspicion.

"You know, I thought that I'd be able to catch a ride to Porta Vista and spend the last few days of summer relaxing a bit before getting back to my Pokémon journey," he explained. "But soon after I arrived, I heard this… _disgrace_ of a Trainer shouting at his Pokémon. Apparently they lost a battle and he blamed them. He struck them and told them they weren't going to get dinner for three days!"

The officer sighed, "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"I couldn't just stand by and watch such cruelty," James said, not needing to fake the enraged tremble of his hands. "So I ran up to him and clocked him in the face while his guard was down." He winced as he rubbed the large bruise on the side of his face, "He fought back, of course, got in some nasty hits, but I won out with a… below-the-belt hit." He mimed a blow with his knee to convey his meaning. "Used the time it stunned him to pin him against the ground and knock him out with a few more blows."

"May I see his Pokémon and your ID, please?"

James nodded and presented the fake ID corresponding with his current alias along with the fanny pack of Poké Balls that he'd confiscated from Damian. Officer Jenny checked his ID before nodding and handing it back. She unzipped the pack and pulled out three random Poké Balls, opening them all at once.

A Venonat with dull eyes and matted hair, a frighteningly skinny Nidorino and a Zubat that just flopped to the ground appeared. James just reacted on instinct. He bit into his finger with one of his canines, ignoring the pain as he kept on until he drew blood. Squatting down, he held the now bleeding appendage in front of Zubat. While the Bat Pokémon as a species could eat Pokémon food and other sustenance, blood was what they originally fed on and offered the most nourishment. **(2)**

Zubat could smell it and crawled forward before latching onto James' finger and licking up the offered blood. Once they had a bit of their strength back, they weakly bit down, piercing the flesh around the first wound with their fangs. The agent had to suppress a wince as he felt the blood drain from his limb bit by bit. Zubat soon stopped when they couldn't drink any more. James knew that going so long on so little food made the Pokémon's stomach shrink.

"Officer Jenny," he started, no longer speaking as "Marcus", but as himself. "I want you to see to it that this person _never_ owns a Pokémon again."

She took another look at the Pokémon and nodded. But then she sighed, "I'm not sure if being released to the wild will be best for them. They're hardly in peak condition…"

James held up a hand, "If I may, I know people who'll look after them. I'll see to it that they go to good Trainers."

"Thank you, young man," Jenny smiled. "You've helped put a vile person away and saved his Pokémon."

"I'm just doing what any upstanding citizen would do," he waved off before noticing the three holes in his finger. "Er, if I could have a bandage, though?"

Officer Jenny handed over Damian's pack with all of the Poké Balls inside and James accepted it before waving goodbye and leaving.

* * *

Jessie watched closely as a prospective opponent to both her and Meowth did battle in the eighth round of the tourney. He went by Cortez and was currently steamrolling his opponent with just a Machoke. And from the Poké Balls on his belt, he potentially had a full team of six and was just messing around.

Meowth spoke up from his chair next to her, "Think we can take 'im?" Then he winced as Cortez's Machoke used Submission to finish off his second opponent, an Ivysaur that made the mistake of trying to poison Machoke, resulting in Guts activating.

"Your match with him will be right before the finals, where I'll be, right?" she asked.

Meowth sighed, "I'll take down as many of his Pokémon as I can."

* * *

James made his way back to camp with Damian's pack of Pokémon and greeted Gyarados before releasing all of them.

He then addressed the crowd, "Everyone, meet Gyarados. He's kind of a recent addition to my team, but we've been through a lot together. You all will be under his protection while you think about whether or not you want to join. Gyarados," he turned to address the leviathan Pokémon, "watch over them, and answer any questions they might have. If any of them want to leave, let them."

Gyarados nodded dutifully, internally vowing to watch over them as he would watch over James after noting their state.

"Oh!" James seemed to recall something and climbed over Gyarados to hop into the basket of the hot air balloon. He came back out with two large bags of Pokémon food.

"Sorry, it's probably not enough to properly feed you all," he sincerely apologized. "You'll have to share and help yourselves. I really need to get back to the tournament; I'm on the clock. Bye!"

With that said, he opened the bags and ran off. The Pokémon stared at the open bags for a while before Gyarados gently reminded them that it really was all theirs. They gingerly walked over, eyes on the sea serpent the entire time, before they grabbed the bags and moved them back to where they'd been before. The bags got passed around, several Pokémon crowding around the containers at a time, but they made sure that everyone got at least one handful before deciding how to divide what was leftover.

A few of the Bug Pokémon ignored second helpings of the Pokémon food in favor of foraging for leaves or nectar to eat. One Pokémon out of the bunch turned down any food at all, saying that she'd already eaten and it would mean the others could get more of their strength back.

Zubat listened to the sounds of James' departure until he was out of her hearing range. After that, she tested her wings, finding them to be slightly revitalized already from the blood he'd given her. She wouldn't be flying any marathons anytime soon, but could at least manage the short distance to Gyarados.

Once she landed, Gyarados regarded her from his rested position on the ground. The sea serpent figured that rising up would be too intimidating, James' first reaction to him was still fresh in his mind, so he merely tilted his head in silent question.

Eventually, she got up her nerve and asked, "[What can you tell me about your Trainer?]"

* * *

 **And that's a wrap for now. Sorry for the abrupt end, but my gosh, this wound up running much longer than I thought it would. So, once again, I must divide the events I thought would be one chapter into two. Hope nobody minds much.**

 **Notes:**

 **1\. While a Pokémon** **cannot be poisoned and burnt at the same time in the games, it makes sense for the more "realistic" rules of the anime. A Pokémon's skin can be burnt at the same time that they have poison coursing through their veins. Thus, Dewgong is poisoned and burnt at the same time.**

 **2\. A case of game data conflicting with anime canon. Golbat's Pokédex entries say that it drinks blood, which would imply that its pre-evolved form can too, yet Zubat is shown to be able to eat Pokémon food too in canon. And I haven't checked, but since it's a kids show, I doubt that Brock's Golbat was draining anybody of blood. In any case, I'm making it so that both _can_ eat food like fruits and berries, but that blood operates as an alternative if they live in caves or other similar habitats with sparse vegetation.**

 **Happy holidays, and I'll see you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	17. Chapter 17: Rocket Recruiting

**Review Responses:**

 ** _The King of Ranting_** **: Indeed it does. Empathy can be a valuable asset. Although, a raise? Their reward for getting recruits and Pokémon on this mission is keeping the reward money, so it would be unwise to try negotiating a raise out of the deal as well. Meowth would probably scratch Jessie and James across the face if they thought about trying. He's savvy like that, which is why he usually does the talking when contacting Giovanni.**

 **Yes, Gyarados will be a strong force when he learns some water moves. But Aqua Tail is a Gen IV move. Sure, it still exists, but Team Rocket and James, by extension, don't know of it. There's a possibility that he could produce a move similar to it during training, but likely not soon. No argument on Gyarados likely becoming James' strongest, and a Psychic-type would be a major problem for Ash as he is now.**

 ** _Snoozing Lurker_** **(Answered via PM): I'm glad you liked the chapter. :)**

 **I'm glad you liked the parts with Beedrill, but Jessie's Beedrill is male, not female. I figure a female Beedrill wouldn't be brought to heel as easily, hence the "queen" moniker that he gave her.**

 **It was never displayed in the anime that Staryu or Starmie knew Thunderbolt, so I don't see why she'd use it here. If Staryu knew an Electric move, then I'm sure she'd have used it during times she fought other Water Pokémon Trainers. The speed is a factor, though. It would probably be close.**

 ** _BrightNova169_** **(Answered via PM): Well, like they told Giovanni: Against the "rank and file Trainers", they're in another league from their training to surpass Ash.**

 **You're welcome. I actually have another reader from one of my other stories to thank for implementing that.**

 **The other points:**

 **1\. I agree. My goal with making this story an AU is to include things that could _plausibly_ have been in the background of the anime's shown events. Underground battles seem like the sort of thing that would happen in the world of Pokémon if its moral spectrum was similar to ours instead of it all being run by the Power of Friendship save for a few Trainers.**

 **2\. I'm glad you approve. It was somewhat hard to think of a personality for Beedrill, so I'm planting the seeds of change from his former mentality and seeing where it goes from there.**

 **Also, Beedrill learning Toxic isn't as bad as you think. While it'll be disastrous if it hits, there are a number of counters for it. A Water Pokémon could wash the stream away, and Tentacool's even immune to poisoning. Bulbasaur, Pidgeot or Butterfree could blow it off course with Whirlwind, even into one of Team Rocket's non-poison Pokémon, and Bulbasaur's immune. Even Charmander could just vaporize it with Flamethrower, though he would have to watch out for the fumes. Really, the only one ill-equiped to handle it would be Pikachu, and even that's a stretch since electricity has a relatively high temperature too (which could vaporize it). And that's without factoring Pikachu's speed which could have him dodge the stream of venom. It's not like the games where the only option is get hit or dodge; Pokémon can shoot down projectile attacks like Toxic.**

 **3\. While I'm glad you appreciate what I did to Damian, bear in mind that he could've been different when he first started out. He seemed older than ten when I watched the episode to write Chapter 8. He may or may not have gotten his first Pokémon from Professor Oak, one of the three starters from however many years ago. He could've started out nice, otherwise he likely wouldn't have gotten a license in the first place.**

 **4\. Yeah, James made smart bets with low amounts of money to build up a safe profit instead of taking high-risk bets. And if by "go all out" you mean fight dirty and then turn Damian in with a half-made-up story, then yes, he did go all out.**

 **5\. Yeah, I figured that was the reason we never saw Zubats or Golbats actually draining blood out of anything (aside from it being a kids show; praise the T rating!).**

 ** _RamenKnight_** **: In canon, they were classified as Ineffectual Sympathetic Villains. Here, they're definitely villains, but Even Evil Has Standards (#tvtropes).**

 ** _Bored321_** **(Answered via PM): In order.**

 **1\. Yeah, appearances can deceive, and a Trainer of the "underworld" like Noah would use that to his advantage. Also, given his later frustration from losing to "a girl", he probably didn't think much of Jessie. And that arrogance was his downfall as it made him overlook some key advantages.**

 **2\. Maybe, maybe not, but I went back and edited that part to make more sense. Instead of being instantly knocked out, it gave Dewgong a bad burn in conjunction with being poisoned by Rush Stinger. A quick Swords Dance/Cut from Beedrill would finish the Sea Lion Pokémon off.**

 **(Also, the "abort" order wouldn't be that simple. Beedrill was diving at Dewgong at Agility speed, and it's different from jumping back during a dash. In flight, he would've needed to slow down and reverse or turn around. And since Noah had timed the attack to Beedrill's arrival factoring in Agility, he wouldn't have gotten far enough to save his wings if he tried to speed past. Jessie realized Beedrill's best chance was to use Dewgong as a shield.)**

 **3\. I'm glad that you enjoyed the battle and that my words were so captivating. Indeed, from Noah's perspective, it's a bit unusual. But from the readers', I bet a few were thinking 'Uh-oh…' when James smiled and casually let Noah offer him his back. That's the key. By letting Noah pass, James got a strategic attacking point while passing it off as subservience.**

 **4\. Yeah, the raids were probably all over the news, and by extension the gossip chain, which would've reached the criminal underground.**

 **5\. I'm glad you approve of James getting a Zubat. It was kind of a spur of the moment decision. When I wrote Zubat collapsing to the ground, I thought, 'Wait, would James stand by and do nothing?' The answer was a resounding no, and the rest of the events regarding Zubat just wrote themselves from there.**

 ** _61394_** **: Indeed not, but it is significantly shorter than average, especially for males.**

 ** _animefan29_** **: I'm aware. I never questioned why the entry was as it is, just why it never came up in the anime.**

 ** _Ardtornismyname_** **: I'm aware, but thanks anyway.**

 ** _The Sinful_** **: Indeed.**

 ** _Awareness Bringer_** **(Chapter 1): I'm glad that you like the story, but James would probably simply want nothing to do with his family or you-know-who. Also, they're an extremely wealthy family and an heiress to another family worthy to marry into James' family. Nothing he could do involving the legal system would be able to affect them in any significant manner.**

 **He's technically a minor and a runaway; the police wouldn't do anything about how his parents want to raise him since they've done nothing illegal. His parents may be inconsiderate, yes, but rigorous tutoring sessions and a betrothal are far from forms of abuse. And even the fact that he doesn't want (i.e. doesn't consent to) the marriage can easily be covered up.**

 **Avoidance is the only option without a chance on backfiring. And he _knows_ this, which is why he would never try to bring any authorities into it.**

 ** _Awareness Bringer_** **(Chapter 2): True. Ash knew that it was either run or lose Pikachu.**

 ** _lalalei_** **: Yeah, failure is the only option for them in canon, unless they're siding with Ash. Even if they get a small victory, it doesn't last to the next episode. And strong Pokémon that they get (i.e. Seviper) usually get totally destroyed in the following episodes, after a bit of time being a threat.**

 **Also, I only boosted the competence of Jessie, James and Meowth. The major ripple effects from that have so far been that Ash is training harder, Team Rocket got the Moon Stone and the Squirtle Squad, Jessie and James warned Giovanni that the Trainers trapped on the St. Anne might fight back, Delia was made aware of the very real threat that Team Rocket poses to her son, and Ash let go of his rivalry with Gary.**

 **But the point is that all of these changes sprouted from Jessie, James and Meowth being retroactively competent. Do you really think that Cassidy would admit that Jessie was better than her and improve/change her methods?**

 **On with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 17: Rocket Recruiting

James weaved his way through the audience again, barely catching the tail end of a Machoke beating a Pinsir down. He looked at the winning of the two Trainers, a large man appearing to be in his thirties with a barrel chest and beefy arms. He had stringy black hair that went down to his shoulders combed back over his ears. Despite his intimidating appearance, his attire consisted of a slate polo shirt with black slacks, matching black suspenders, a leather belt in relatively good condition and loafers that looked like they'd seen better days.

'Wonder what his story is…' James mused. 'He seems to have strong Pokémon. A former Trainer dusting off his fighting gloves, perhaps?'

As he found the bookmaker again, he asked, "What'd I miss?"

"Two whole rounds, that's what," the man answered while watching the Machoke finish with a Submission. "This Cortez guy seems pretty tough. Might even take the whole tournament."

"We'll see," James replied.

* * *

"Well, with Cortez as the victor, it seems that the first round has run its course," the host noted. "From now on, the battles are no longer random. Your future opponents can now analyze any used Pokémon at their leisure and prepare counterstrategies."

Jessie smirked, since she'd only used Beedrill, and Meowth tsked, but remembered that he had one more unknown Pokémon to fight with. Pearl and Hart were also glad that they'd only needed one Pokémon each for their battles. Cortez remained stone-faced, giving away nothing. Other contestants that had already used three Pokémon in the first round appeared to be making plans to switch in some of the ones they hadn't used yet. James noted each of their reactions from the stands.

After letting the pause drag for a moment, the host glanced at his assistants below, "Taylor, Jackie, if you will?"

"All competitors to the eight seats there," Jackie announced, pointing to one side of the arena. He and Taylor pushed the blackboard to the other side, kicking aside a few empty chairs to make room.

"First round," Taylor announced. "Rachel! Versus…"

"Brook!"

* * *

"Odds on Rachel, 10:9," the bookmaker announced. "She's clearly aiming for the top and is likely to plow straight through this rookie! Wanna go for the underdog, you've got 7:1 odds! She's calling out Fearow while he calls out two Pokémon for a start! A Fire-type! Must've been expecting Beedrill. 5:4 odds that she wins with just Fearow!"

"Four hundred on just Fearow," James called while handing the money over between those betting for some sure money on Jessie winning in any case and those trying to win big on Brook. Meanwhile, James recalled his expression unchanging for most of the tourney, save the occasional smirk from a good move in the preliminary rounds.

The gangly teen gave nothing away in his expression while running a hand through his short black hair in apparent frustration at Fearow's aggressive opening attack. Seeing such a powerful maneuver, the bookmaker closed the betting since the battle had started.

* * *

Fearow stared down her opponents, a Raticate and Charmander with a piercing Leer. Both quivered, despite their Trainer trying to snap them out of it. The Beak Pokémon noted Raticate snapping out of it first and deemed him the stronger.

As such, she immediately used her imperfect Agility and speared him in the chin with Peck, knocking him into the air. It was the counter to Pidgeot's Clothesline Dash. With her keen eyes, she would be able to see his approach after she perfected Agility and trained herself to do so. Then her Javelin Strike would surgically damage his wing and render him helpless.

Nobody humiliated Fearow and her Trainer like Pidgeot did and got away with it.

Following up on her attack, she flew up after Raticate to juggle him higher with a Fury Attack before striking him down to the ground with Wing Attack. From her high vantage point, she saw that the Charmander had regained her nerve and shot a Flamethrower at her. The Flying-type dodged out of the way, waiting for the other Trainer to recall the unconscious Raticate and send out their next Pokémon.

As Charmander kept on trying to hit Fearow with Flamethrower, Brook ran a hand through his hair in annoyance. He didn't need the money, or the notoriety, he'd just entered because he was bored and it sounded interesting. While he didn't care what a bunch of strangers thought, he didn't want to be just swept aside like his opponent did in her previous fight.

Deciding that a little chance was better than no chance at all, he reached for a Poké Ball that he hadn't been intending to use tonight since he'd just recently caught this one. Weepinbell and Poliwag would be taken down in an instant, whereas Diglett would just cause a stalemate until the host got bored and declared Rachel the winner through having more of his Pokémon taken down. His only chance was that the type advantage would balance out the lack of training.

"It's all you, Magnemite," he halfheartedly urged while throwing out the sphere.

Jessie smirked, "Move in close and use Mirror Move on Magnemite."

Fearow dove low, still dodging Flamethrowers as her new opponent was still materializing, and an apparition of Charmander appeared in front of her glinting eyes.

The light barely faded around the newly released Pokémon before the apparition shot a Flamethrower of its own at Magnemite. The Magnet Pokémon was engulfed, as they had barely been getting their bearings when the attack struck.

The flames died down, and Magnemite was burnt, but still floating. Fearow simply used Mirror Move again, since neither had used another move, meaning she could simply reuse Flamethrower. After the second stream of fire died down, Magnemite fell to the ground unconscious.

Letting out an exasperated sigh at his trump card getting easily overpowered, he spoke up before Fearow could beat up Charmander too, "That's enough; I'm done. I hate to say it, but it seems there's just a clear difference of power here."

"Very well, the winner is Rachel," the host announced.

Brook returned his Pokémon and shoved his hands into his pockets with an apathetic expression. He really didn't care about the loss, and was just disappointed that his fun was cut short by nothing worse than bad luck with opponents.

* * *

As they announced the next round's combatants, James noticed the seafoam-haired teen going up.

"Odds for Pearl?" he asked while accepting his winnings. It was only a marginal profit, but better than he would've made by betting on the lower odds of Jessie winning with more than one Pokémon.

"Strategic, but haven't seen much of her Pokémon," the bookmaker analyzed. "Her opponent, we've seen two of his, Zubat and Voltorb, but her Tangela could win with the right strategy." He raised his voice, "2:1 regular win on Pearl, 5:1 with a single Pokémon! 6:1 for her opponent winning!"

"Three hundred twenty-five on a regular win for Pearl," James decided while handing over the appropriate amount of money from the stack he'd just won and accepting the voucher. "Now, if you'll excuse me for a moment, I need to make a call to check in with my father. He thinks I'm studying at the academy, and I need to keep my calls regular or he gets suspicious."

With his excuse given, he quickly headed towards the exit to intercept the competitor that just left.

* * *

Brook wasn't in any hurry to leave, ambling along as he heard the sounds of the next battle start behind him.

He got to the fork in the underground passage when another teen came from the hall leading to the stands. The suit hinted that he was of middle to upper class, but he didn't give off the entitled attitude of a spoiled heir.

"Hi, I'm kind of in a hurry to catch the next battle," the blue-haired teen explained. "I'll give you the short version: I'm watching this tourney in hopes of recruiting agents to Team Rocket. You strike me as a potential field agent with your attempted counter to Rachel's Fearow, even if it failed, and your decision to back out showed that you know when it's time to walk away from an unsalvageable mission. Field agents are some of the most valuable operatives of Team Rocket, and it pays well if you don't get caught, along with a massive signing bonus."

He bowed with a hand across his chest with an expectant look, "Well? Do you accept?"

Brook's eyebrows lifted in surprise, and he took a closer look at the person before him. Despite his relaxed upper body, both legs were slightly tensed, ready to move. And while one hand was held amiably across his chest, next to a pink rose fixed into his lapel, the other was held casually behind his back. He would easily be able to reach for something out of Brook's sight.

The black-haired teen considered the offer before shrugging.

"Eh. Sounds like it'll at least keep things interesting," he replied.

That was the truth, but only the secondary reason. Brook wasn't a fool—he knew that declining would likely mean his Pokémon getting stolen, and caring for them was one of his favorite pastimes.

The agent's posture relaxed again, and he smiled, "Good! Now, let's watch the rest of the matches."

Hands still in his pockets, he followed the Rocket agent as he led him back to the stands.

* * *

James arrived back at the bookmaker's side in time to see Pearl's Tangela and (he'd guess) Sandshrew taking on her opponent's (Nicholas, he thought the referee said) Zubat and a Scyther, the latter of which made him note to pay that one a visit after the round.

"What'd I miss?" he asked once he arrived with Brook in tow.

The man gave him a glance, "Well, they both started with two Pokémon, ruining that bet for everybody who wagered, but her Sandshrew was able to take down Voltorb. Both Zubat and Scyther are pretty speedy, though. It's real iffy."

Brook took a look down and chimed in, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but she looks to be letting out her last Pokémon."

Indeed, Pearl was holding one more Poké Ball, and seemed to be deliberating whether or not to send them out. Eventually nodding, she threw the ball out and it released a round form obscured by the flash of light. When it faded, a nearly spherical Pokémon was revealed, possessing stubby arms and feet, big round eyes and a cute curl between their pointed ears.

James raised an eyebrow, wondering why Pearl would send such a harmless-looking Pokémon out, "What's _that_?"

"A Jigglypuff," Brook answered. "Thought about raising one myself, but too high-maintenance if you ask me. Don't be fooled by its looks, they can pack a punch and are very versatile if trained right. And that's not even counting its Sing move."

The agent blinked, "How'd you know that?"

"Pokémon Flash Cards. You can pick 'em up at any halfway decent care of Pokémon store. Not everybody gets a Pokédex, you know."

James turned away from the battle for a moment, Jigglypuff having inflated to dodge a swipe from Scyther, "What about your Charmander? Isn't it your starter?"

"No, I applied for my license, got my Poké Balls from the League official and caught my own starter," Brook answered. "Raticate's my first Pokémon, caught him when he was a Rattata. Charmander's my second."

He then pointed back to the arena, "Case in point of Jigglypuff's versatility…"

James looked to see Jigglypuff shooting out several bolts of electricity with Thunderbolt that caused Zubat and Scyther to slow down considerably to weave through them. From there, Tangela bound Zubat's wings and put him to sleep with Sleep Powder. Meanwhile, Sandshrew leaped straight through the bolts with his typing protecting him and curled up into a ball. Spinning through the air, he hit the hesitant Scyther and knocked him to the ground. Jigglypuff then scurried forward and whispered a melody into Scyther's ear, putting him to sleep as well. **(1)**

The host chuckled, "Well, well, seems strategy wins out again. I decree Pearl the winner."

* * *

As James accepted his money, Brook saw an opportunity to curry some favor with the agent. If he was going to be joining Team Rocket, he might as well ensure he got a good recommendation.

Whispering, he asked, "The Scyther, right?"

The agent blinked in surprise before smirking and replying in an equally low tone, "And whatever other rare Pokémon on his person. Feel free to rob his wallet and keep it for yourself, too."

* * *

"Cheap tricks, putting my Pokémon to sleep like that," Nicholas muttered as he traveled down the corridor to the exit.

Unfortunately, he was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the cloud of blue powder descend on him until he'd already breathed it in. His last thought before passing out was confusion about where it had come from.

Brook stepped out from the branch leading to the stands, a bandanna wrapped tightly around his mouth and nose and stuffed into the collar of his shirt. Weepinbell was beside him, having rested enough since her last battle.

"Good work, Weepinbell," he said while flipping Nicholas onto his back and stooping down to search his pockets. "Keep it up while I call out his Pokémon."

His eyes drifted to the unconscious Trainer's face. 'Nothing personal, but I care a lot more about my own Pokémon than some random guy's.'

He decided to leave the wallet since he didn't particularly need it.

* * *

Meowth stood across from his opponent, Dalton, on the arena. The brunet teen wore a black leather jacket with dark blue jeans and gloves with metal studs on the knuckles. His hair was gelled and slicked back. The feline agent remembered that he'd used a Pidgeotto and Sandslash in his first round. Still that was one other Pokémon unaccounted for at best.

"Better give up, little man," the teen taunted.

Meowth grinned back, his sunglasses gleaming under the lights, "Save da smacks for da battle."

Both took out two Poké Balls and threw them out at the same time. Weezing and Mankey appeared on Meowth's side while Pidgeotto and Sandslash emerged on the other.

Weezing didn't need any instructions to fly up after Pidgeotto. He hovered around skillfully and shot multiple globs of sludge from both mouths to try pinning her down. Pidgeotto dodged around, and Weezing began trying to tackle her.

Meanwhile, Mankey dodged around Sandslash's Fury Swipes attack, using his smaller size and superior agility to maneuver around and get hits in where he could. He landed a powerful uppercut with Mega Punch, but Sandslash managed to land a Scratch as he was sailing upward. It stung, but Mankey managed to keep his temper in check. Recklessly attacking a barbed Pokémon like Sandslash would do more harm than good.

'James is counting on me,' he remembered in order to focus his mind.

He chanced a glance up while Sandslash was on the ground and saw that Weezing was having trouble due to getting blown around by Pidgeotto's wind. Looking at his downed opponent starting to get up, the Pig Monkey Pokémon got an idea.

Grabbing onto Sandslash's legs, he swung him up and slammed him back on the ground to stun him. After that, he started spinning around. It was hard to build up momentum, since Sandslash was about twice as tall as him and dragged on the ground, but since he wasn't that much heavier, the strength of Mankey's spin eventually lifted the Ground-type into the air.

Dalton caught onto what Mankey was planning, and shouted, "Pidgeotto! Sandslash is heading towards you!"

Mankey threw Sandslash towards Pidgeotto, who dodged another stream of Sludge to see the incoming Pokémon. She dodged, but Sandslash's quills scratched one of her wings as he flew by.

"Dammit!" Dalton cursed as Sandslash crashed into the stands, the audience parting around him. Pidgeotto was rapidly descending due to her injured wing, where Mankey was waiting, so he took out his last Poké Ball.

Throwing it out, he called, "Electabuzz! Guard Pidgeotto!"

Meowth grinned, "Weezing, Smokescreen!"

The Poison Gas Pokémon flew across the arena releasing smoke as Electabuzz emerged, obscuring the Pokémon and Trainers from the audience's sight. Unseen, Meowth slipped his hat, wig and trench coat off, leaping out of his shoes while uncurling his tail from around his waist.

"Mankey, focus on Pidgeotto, Weezing, make sure Sandslash stays down, and go Meowth!" he called. After that, he ran on all fours, tracking Electabuzz by his feet under the smoke. Slipping into his old tongue, he hissed and yowled angrily while leaping at Electabuzz's face to unleash a Fury Swipes attack.

"Gah, I can't see anything!" Dalton cursed. "Pidgeotto, use your good wing and Gust the smoke away!"

Pidgeotto tried, but Mankey leapt up and stomped on her back with Mega Kick, causing her to squawk as the wind was knocked out of her and then fall to the ground in pain. Sweeping Electabuzz's feet next, he joined Meowth in beating the Electric Pokémon up.

Weezing, meanwhile, had just finished off Sandslash with a Smog Ram, the audience watching the battle in the stands since the arena was obscured.

Electabuzz passed out in the smoke with scratches and bruises all over his body, and Meowth slipped back into his disguise left at the Trainer box, saying, "Meowth, return! Weezing, suck the smoke back in, I think da audience wants ta see."

The Poison-type did so, releasing the filtered air through his pores as he inhaled to keep from inflating. Once the clouds disappeared into his mouths, the audience saw Electabuzz unconscious and Pidgeotto in pain on the ground before Mankey knocked her out with a Mega Punch to the top of the head.

"Hmm," the host mused, "shame we couldn't see, but Mr. Pokémon is the winner!"

* * *

"Thaaank you," James gleefully said as he accepted $500 as winnings. Then he took out $200 and handed it back, "And I'd like you to put this on Hart, what're his odds?"

"Cortez is a tough opponent, but we haven't seen much of Hart's Pokémon either." The bookmaker called out, "3:1 on Hart winning, 2:1 on Cortez! Place your bets!"

After James received his voucher, he visibly flinched and rubbed his stomach.

"If you'll excuse me, I must use the restroom again," he excused. "The convenience store fare doesn't agree with me, apparently."

Brook kept his face neutral, but internally rolled his eyes at the uncreative excuse.

* * *

"What do _you_ want?"

James smiled and decided to let the teen's attitude slide, "It's not what _I_ want, it's what _you_ want. What I have for you is an offer."

As the brunet lifted an eyebrow in curiosity, James internally smirked while keeping his face friendly on the outside. All the other times, he'd been in a hurry, but now he could take his time with convincing this one. Not that he needed much to begin with, he knew the kind of person in front of him.

The agent lifted the side of his jacket that didn't have the stolen Poké Balls and revealed a med kit, where he'd kept the medicine he'd used on the injured Pokémon he'd acquired.

"Why don't I treat your Pokémon while we talk business?"

* * *

Brook watched as Hart and Cortez battled it out. The blond's Psyduck had fallen quickly to Cortez's Magneton.

When Hart brought out a Cubone to combat the Magnet Pokémon, the larger man had simply called out his Machoke again to take care of them. Cortez only looked vaguely annoyed when Hart called out Doduo to stall the Superpower Pokémon while Cubone managed to get some good hits in on Magneton with Bonemerang.

Cortez tried ordering Magneton to shock Doduo, but the bolts turned in the air and traveled to Cubone's bone club, grounding in their body with no effect.

In the time that it took Machoke to finally catch the swift two-headed bird, Cubone managed to get close enough past the deflected Sonic Booms to hit with a decisive Bone Club to the top body, knocking them out.

Shortly after, Doduo was knocked out as well from Machoke slamming them into the ground and uprooting a chunk of the concrete arena floor to smash them with. Once that was done, the Fighting-type turned to Cubone.

* * *

'Too easy,' James internally boasted while leading Dalton back to the stands. 'Offer the haughty some money and a promise of power in Team Rocket's rule, and he's ready to sign without a second thought. Probably not a good leader without a few years' experience, but that's what the partnering system is for.'

James knew very well that Brook didn't trust him or Team Rocket, and as such would likely never move past Grunt level to keep from knowing too much if and when he left. He'd get a partner similar to his own personality and would be sent on simple thefts until he was discharged, ran away or got thrown in jail, whichever came first. He could be replaced.

Dalton, however, would learn loyalty to the Boss in pursuit of his own place in the sun with Team Rocket. He'd get a partner that covered his weaknesses and accentuated his best qualities, give him direction until he learned it himself. The two would move up to become an Officer team in due time, and, with a few years, Dalton's ambition might even earn him the coveted Elite Officer rank.

The only aspect James saw that differentiated Noah from Dalton was that the former was so full of himself that his pride would never let him bow his head to the Boss.

Dalton was power-hungry, but at least knew his place in the grand scheme of things. The brunet would try to climb as high as he could to ensure a better place for himself in the Boss's rule, but wouldn't try to challenge his authority.

Likely, if James had tried to draft Noah, he'd eventually try to usurp the Boss's leadership and be discharged after it inevitably failed—followed by a discreet execution at the hands of Proton to prevent spiteful information leaks if he actually attained some higher rank from his strength.

When he got back to the stands, he could've sworn he hadn't been gone longer than five minutes, but found Cortez's Machoke beating up Hart's Cubone with their own Bone Club. Hart was already holding the Poké Ball and seemed to be waiting for something.

When the opportunity apparently came during Machoke's windup, Hart held the sphere forward, "Cubone, return!"

The red beam connected the instant that the club impacted Cubone's skull helmet, and the stolen item got drawn in too, since it was touching its owner.

"Disqualified," the host intoned.

Hart didn't argue, "Yeah, yeah, I know." He walked back to his chair and took a seat, "I'm sticking around."

"I don't see why not. Next round."

Jackie looked to the board, "Round 5, Rachel! Versus…"

"Pearl!"

James noticed Hart lean closer, sitting on the edge of his seat. He obviously had a more vested interest in this match than any of the others. The agent was now all but positive that the two were dating. Only a small portion of him believed that they might be very, very close friends instead. Either way, he could use what he figured to be a very hard past as emotional leverage to convince them to join.

When the bookmaker called out the odds of "Rachel" winning with one Pokémon, 4:1, James bet another $200 on that one. He knew that she'd use Ekans to defeat her opponent this time.

He had to recuperate from his loss from betting on Hart, after all. This bet should bring him up to an even $3000.

* * *

Jessie shot her opponent a condescending smirk, "You might as well give up now and save some face, girl. I'm going straight to the top. Give up and let me pass, or become another step for my climb."

"You don't scare me," Pearl retorted. "I'm not some frail damsel you can just intimidate into submission."

"Oh, really?" She released Ekans, who hissed menacingly, "Let's see if your Pokémon can match mine, then."

"I've seen you fight. You're going to try overpowering me with just one Pokémon, to prove your superiority," Pearl stated. "And your pride won't let you back down from using just one." She took out all three Poké Balls, "Overpower _this_."

She threw all three spheres out and released Sandshrew, Jigglypuff and – to Jessie's surprise – a Rhyhorn.

Ekans reared up, looking at the three opponents, trying to figure out which one to take out first. Meanwhile, Jessie scoffed, "You think numbers scare my Ekans? Pshaw, I say. Ekans, Glare!"

The Snake Pokémon's eyes glowed blue as he channeled pure intimidation into her eyes. Sandshrew and Jigglypuff were paralyzed upon meeting her gaze, but Rhyhorn took it as a challenge and bulldozed forward.

"No, don't!" Pearl warned.

But it was too late, as Ekans easily slithered away from the slow charge and pounced on Rhyhorn's back. By the time the Spikes Pokémon noticed, Ekans had wrapped her lower half around his neck and leaned in from the side to look him in the eye. She couldn't choke his rock neck, but got an idea as he bellowed at her.

Opening her mouth, she shot a few poisonous barbs into his gaping maw, sinking them into his tongue.

"Jigglypuff, Thunderbolt!"

The Balloon Pokémon shook off his fear and shot bolts of electricity at Ekans, who sprung off and burrowed underground to dodge. Rhyhorn lowed in slight pain as a purple blush appeared on his face.

"Rhyhorn, Earthquake!"

"Ekans, jump!"

Rhyhorn reared up and stomped down, the Snake Pokémon re-emerging and sailing into the air to avoid the temporary quakes. Some cracks formed in the floor, but Ekans landed again after the ground stopped shaking.

"Sandshrew, Swift!" Pearl commanded. "Rhyhorn, Take Down! Jigglypuff, standby!"

As the Rock/Ground-type charged, Sandshrew threw some stars that Ekans was forced to shoot down with Poison Sting. By the time she finished Rhyhorn was so close to trampling her that she had to coil up and spring into the air.

"Now, Sing, Jigglypuff!"

As the Snake Pokémon sailed through the air, Jigglypuff floated close and prepared to whisper the move, but Ekans glared at him from the corner of her eye.

'You _don't_ want to do that,' Ekans tried to channel into her baleful look, eyes glowing once again. 'I am your predator. I will _eat you_ if you dare to approach me.'

Despite Pearl trying to urge him onward, the Balloon Pokémon froze up and inadvertently gave Ekans enough time to descend back to the ground behind Rhyhorn. The bulky Pokémon was also starting to become sluggish from the poison.

Picking her next target, Ekans slithered towards Sandshrew to Jessie's triumphant delight.

"I told you that it wouldn't do any good," she taunted. "My Ekans has been with me for years, even with limited battle. The others are my precious Pokémon, but she's my invaluable partner that I couldn't possibly do without."

Sandshrew tried burrowing underground, but Ekans followed him. Pearl saw her opportunity, even if it might hurt Sandshrew too. Jigglypuff could still salvage the battle if he went against Beedrill and Fearow.

"Rhyhorn, Earthquake!"

The Spikes Pokémon roared weakly and tensed up, but only managed a weak lift before landing on trembling legs and falling on his side.

"Tsk-tsk," Jessie chastised. "Everyone knows that you shouldn't have a Pokémon running around when it's been poisoned."

Pearl groaned and recalled Rhyhorn before tossing the Poké Ball to Hart. He released Rhyhorn again while taking out an Antidote to treat him.

At the same time, Ekans resurfaced with Sandshrew wrapped up in her tail, much to the latter's fear.

Jessie put a finger to her lips in thought, "Hmm… I doubt Sandshrew will be willing to open up and let Ekans poison him, and Ekans's barbs aren't Twineedles; they can't penetrate that tough hide. Oh well. Ekans, choke him to dreamland."

The Snake Pokémon readjusted her tail to extend and wrap around his neck, and tightened it, cutting off the Ground-type's oxygen.

"Jigglypuff, Thunderbolt."

"Sandshrew Shield."

Ekans lifted the captive Pokémon in the path of the bolt, and felt nothing but a slight tingle in her tail as the bolt grounded in his body. Sandshrew, meanwhile started turning a little blue in the face as Ekans redoubled her grip.

Pearl pinched the bridge of her nose and held up a Poké Ball.

Ekans glanced at Jessie, who shrugged apathetically. A win was a win.

"Sandshrew, return," Pearl called, recalling the Mouse Pokémon from Ekans's bind. She then immediately released him outside the arena, where he emerged on all fours taking deep breaths to try recovering.

Jigglypuff was the only one still in the battle, and Ekans stared up at him floating in the air before coiling up. Before she could leap, though, Jigglypuff dropped to the ground and fled to hide behind his Trainer.

"Alright, fine. I surrender," Pearl said through gritted teeth. "Jigglypuff's scared to fight on his own, anyway."

"The winner is Rachel," the host intoned as Jessie let Ekans wrap around her arms and across her back, like a feather boa, with her head raised over Jessie's opposite shoulder.

* * *

James accepted his winnings as Brook and Dalton watched the magenta-haired girl lavish praise upon her Pokémon, nuzzling against the snake's head as she took her seat again.

"Don't most chicks treat… cuddly Pokémon like that?" Dalton asked, weirded out by Jessie's display with a Pokémon that could crush her neck if she wanted to.

Brook decided to ignore the sight before him, saying, "Don't know, don't care."

The agent, meanwhile, listened as the bookmaker gave the odds to both "Mr. Pokémon" and Cortez. But he'd already made his decision when the two stepped onto the arena.

"No bet."

The bookmaker seemed to nearly sag in relief, since, barring one loss, James had been cutting into his profit margin. The other contestants seemed unsure about who to bet on as well.

James just watched as Meowth and Cortez stared each other down. He knew that Meowth's chances of winning were slim at best, so he'd avoid betting on him to keep from losing money. But he'd have to be the lowest of the low to bet against a friend for profit.

He then noticed Pearl and Hart whispering to each other before the latter tilted his head towards the exit.

The agent internally groaned. He _really_ wanted to watch Meowth's battle, but he couldn't let a potential Rocket squad get away, either.

Thinking over his options, James decided not to trust Brook with such an integral matter and turned to Dalton.

"Do you have a Pokémon that can put others to sleep?" he whispered.

The brunet blinked in surprise at the question, "Uh, yeah, why?"

James gestured with his eyes at Pearl and Hart, "Set them aside somewhere and make sure they stay there. I want to talk to them later."

Dalton's expression turned serious, figuring it to be some sort of practical test for his joining with Team Rocket as he nodded. Turning around, he ran to set up an ambush in the underground corridor.

"Why send him instead of going yourself like the last match?" Brook asked.

The agent rolled his eyes, "Obviously, I don't want to miss this one."

* * *

Meowth watched his opponent pull out a single Poké Ball and pulled out both. He seemed to be trying to save his Pokémon's strength, and Meowth knew he was probably going to lose, so he'd take advantage of numbers and take down as many as he could to limit the man's options against Jessie.

Both threw out their Poké Balls at the same time, Meowth releasing James's Pokémon while Cortez called out a Fearow. It was an imposing specimen, significantly larger than Jessie's own, which implied superior breed or advanced age with proper care. Given Cortez's apparent age, Meowth leaned towards the latter.

"Mankey, Rock-"

"Agile Drill Peck."

Fearow flitted out of sight and Mankey got hit as the bird reappeared with a spiral cone of wind trailing behind their beak as it struck him right in the gut. The Flying-type knocked him into the air, outsped his ascent and hit him back to the ground with another Drill Peck.

Weezing and Meowth watched wide-eyed as Mankey hit the ground and bounced roughly onto his back, already down for the count.

Fearow turned to the Poison Gas Pokémon, and he knew that he wouldn't have a chance in attacking before his opponent moved again.

'Only the point of impact,' he realized as Fearow tensed up to rush him. Getting an idea, he started building up all of his energy. He'd never used the move before, for obvious reasons, but it could actually take the speedy bird out.

Weezing didn't see the blow coming so much as he felt it on instinct. Right before Fearow reappeared, his body flashed as he brought the built-up energy to the surface.

Fearow struck with Drill Peck, and a massive explosion detonated as Weezing used Self-Destruct.

* * *

Dalton stared inside the supply closet he'd picked open with a bit of metal wire that he always kept. Hart was draped over his shoulder with several lumps and bruises over his face while Pearl was being held by his Machop, the Superpower Pokémon holding the teenage girl overhead. Unlike her companion, she had no injury.

Inside, he found Noah, along with a good portion of the other contestants that had already left. All of them were thoroughly asleep, leaned against the wall if not put directly on the floor. One had even started cuddling an empty bucket.

Deciding that he was better off not asking questions, he closed the door and locked it with the wire he still had wedged in the keyhole.

"Oddish?" the Pokémon trailing behind him and Machop asked.

"Not this one. Too full," he explained vaguely while moving on to the next closet.

The Weed Pokémon didn't pay it any mind, skipping behind her Trainer just happy to have been useful. She'd been waiting by the road for quite a while for somebody to show interest in catching her. Though not very strong in battle, she'd finally helped with something that no one else on the team could've!

After setting the two unconscious teens in another closet he unlocked, he turned to his two Pokémon, "Oddish, I need you to stay in there and make sure those two stay asleep. Machop will be with you to guard. You remember how hard that guy was to put to sleep, right?"

Oddish nodded. The scary-eyes human had barreled straight at her and her Trainer once the powder went down and knocked out the female. Machop and Geodude had been called out and barely managed to stop his charge before knocking him out with several blows to the head. The Weed Pokémon had never met such a resilient human before.

Dalton and Machop opened another supply closet and set the two unconscious teens inside, the Trainer getting down on one knee to talk to Oddish.

"Now, you two, I need you to stand guard and make sure they don't get away," he instructed. "Knock them out again if you have to."

He then tore a length of cloth from the bottom of his shirt and gave it to Machop, "Here, in case Oddish has to use Sleep Powder again."

The Superpower Pokémon nodded and wrapped it around the lower half of her face.

He turned back to the trap door, which his Geodude had helpfully wedged himself into for keeping it open. Sliding through the gap, Dalton took his Geodude into his arms and patted him as the hatch closed by itself.

"Thanks, now let's get back to the match."

* * *

James had to use every bit of acting experience to not jump over the rail and make sure his Pokémon was okay. He kept his features schooled into a passive expression and didn't show any more interest than the rest of the audience.

"Relax," Brook whispered, having picked up on his tension. "Self-Destruct doesn't blow up the Pokémon, it uses all of their energy in a desperate and/or enraged attack. They wind up a bit burnt from the blast, but no more than that and exhaustion from the massive energy output. **(2)** "

The agent still didn't calm internally until he could make out Weezing's shape still floating shakily in the cloud of smoke.

* * *

Meowth's eyes widened, "Weezing!"

"Fearow!" Cortez called.

Once the smoke cleared, Weezing was burnt, and a bit deflated looking, but still panting in the air while Fearow was covered in burns and on the ground.

"My first Pokémon… taken down by such a dirty trick," Cortez spat while recalling the Beak Pokémon. "You'll pay for that." He took out another Poké Ball, "Go, Rhydon!"

A large bipedal Pokémon made of stone with a horn drill appeared with a rumbling growl. Meowth immediately recalled Weezing to let him rest. He wouldn't risk one of James's Pokémon like that.

"Well, then, I guess it's time ta bring out my last fighter," he noted with a grin. He jumped out of his shoes into the arena and threw off his trench coat during his descent, making it land in James's hands. Now in just a white button down shirt and black pants, his tail uncurled from around his waist, to the varied shock of the audience.

Letting out a chuckle, he took off his hat and wig with one paw and his sunglasses with the other, revealing his feline features, "Meowth, go!" He tossed the last pieces of his disguise to land on his shoes and got on all fours.

"Ya see, my Trainer up there trusted me ta fight for 'im so he could just kick back and relax," the feline agent explained, going with the story they came up with in case he had to reveal himself. "The other two're his Pokémon, too."

"Hm, this is an interesting turn of events," the host mused. "I suppose I'll have to make a temporary exception about attacking the Trainers. It's no fun to have a win on technicality."

"Wait, Pokémon can compete too?" a random audience member asked. "How is that supposed to work? A Pokémon can't be a Trainer!"

"My tournament," the host dismissed in answer. "Besides, this Meowth clearly knows what it's doing."

Rhydon had decided to open up with a Mega Punch, only for Meowth to jump out of the way. Internally, the feline agent thanked Jessie, James and Mankey for every push-up, squat, dead lift, dodge, and sprint that they'd put him through in the few months since meeting Ash.

Meowth landed on Rhydon's head, bending over to look into the stone Pokémon's eyes, "Where ya aimin'?"

He back-flipped off to dodge the Horn Drill's Pokémon's hands reaching to grab him. Landing on all fours, he extended his claws and got ready to fight.

* * *

Hart groaned as he felt a familiar cold pressed against his head. Slowly waking up, he felt his head resting against something soft. Opening his eyes, he saw his girlfriend leaning over him with his head in her lap and an ice pack in her hand. From that, he immediately gathered that he'd taken a beating and she had gotten her first aid kit out.

"Did I get 'em?" he groggily asked.

Pearl sighed, "No, Hart. He had a Pokémon."

"Shouldn't'a stopped me…"

"Fine," she granted with an eye roll and amused half-smile. "He had _two_ Pokémon, not counting the one that tried to put you to sleep."

"How're you awake, then?" Hart wondered, more to himself. Regardless, Pearl answered.

"I was never asleep. I held my breath and faked going unconscious. Anyway, they were _going_ to put me back to sleep, but I convinced them to let me treat you."

After she said that, she indicated the Oddish and Machop still in the room watching them carefully. The Superpower Pokémon had cloth wrapped around their nose and mouth to keep powder moves out.

He started trying to get up, but Pearl pressed a hand insistently on his shoulder, keeping him down, "On that note, stay down. Your head took quite a beating."

"You know I'm thick-skulled, I'll be-"

"Don't care," she interrupted. "You might be able to shrug off a bit of Sleep Powder, but if that Oddish fills the room, we'll both be out this time. Do you want to be awake and more or less recovered when whoever did this comes, or not?"

Hart looked up at her for a bit, unhappy with the plan, but huffed through his nose in acceptance.

* * *

Meowth dodged another Fury Attack from Rhydon's horn and sent another barrage of Swift stars that did practically nothing against his stone hide. The feline agent groaned as he ran around on all fours to dodge more attacks as well as jumping over a full-on charge.

Growling in frustration, Meowth realized that while Rhydon couldn't hit him, none of his moves really did much against him either. The few times he'd tried scratching, he'd barely left any sign of his attacks and nearly broke his claws when he tried hitting harder.

One thing he'd noticed as he ran around the arena was that whenever the spotlight shone on him, he felt a little tingle in his charm. The last time he'd gotten a feeling like that, he'd gotten a new move, but it only happened when he was standing under the light.

A glance at Cortez showed the man to be simply standing with his arms crossed, clearly waiting for Meowth to tire out.

He dodged a few thrown rocks and left a bunch of Swift stars that orbited the arena to run interference against the projectiles while standing over one of the cracks from the Earthquake in the last match. As he directed a few to reduce the momentum of a thrown stone, he felt a drop of water land on him.

Meowth dodged another charge, looking up while in the air. He saw one of the water pipes near the ceiling had a leak in it, dripping to the arena. The earlier tremors must have weakened the already rusty metal, but nobody had noticed since the water all drained into the new faults.

The feline agent had to suppress a sneaky grin as he realized, 'Of course. Rock Pokémon are weakened by water… I can't waste this; I need ta set it up right.'

A plan formed as Rhydon charged him once again, and Meowth ran around a bit more while ironing out the details. He felt more of the power in his charm whenever he was in the spotlight and sent out more stars as he led Rhydon in a circuitous path back to where the leak in the pipe was. Getting an idea of what it might be, he decided to go all-or-nothing.

Sending a few stars at Rhydon, the Horn Drill Pokémon barreled straight through, but kept heading for Meowth, heedless of the few that missed and peppered his back instead. But one kept on going up, hiding among the ones still orbiting.

Meowth stopped on the other side of the fault, seeing a drop falling at the same spot he'd been at before, but facing a different direction to have one of the ceiling spotlights in front of him. Even if facing a different direction, he would need it.

As Rhydon neared, his star had hit one of the spotlights, turning it to shine on him. Feeling the power filling his charm, he jumped with his path keeping him in the stream of light and concentrated by putting his paws on either side of the coin.

"Say 'cheese'!" he quipped before shutting his eyes in midair.

A radiant flash of light burst from his charm, lasting no longer than half a second, but it did its job. Meowth opened his eyes once he felt the power recede and focused on landing properly.

Once his opponent skidded to a stop with a hand at his eyes, Meowth landed on his other side and a dozen of the remaining stars orbiting the arena sailed up.

"Meowth Secret Technique: Water Geyser attack!"

The stars stopped and lined up in a circle around the section of pipe above Rhydon's head before converging. For a moment, Meowth swore they formed one big star before striking into the rusted metal and puncturing a hole in it. The hole widened with a metallic groan as water surged outward and doused the Rock/Ground-type. Once it ran down to a trickle over the still shivering Pokémon, Meowth capitalized on his opening.

Sweeping his arms out and bringing his paws inward, he added, "Big Bang Blitz!"

All of the stars still in the air suddenly converged on Rhydon, leaving visible, if faint damage on his now drenched skin.

His claws lengthened slightly with a glint as he charged forward, intent on finishing the battle before his opponent could recover. The weakened rock yielded much easier to the frenzied attack of his claws, and Rhydon received multiple pale white scratches in his stone hide. Cortez's Pokémon backpedaled, but Meowth kept up the attack, not giving an inch until Rhydon fell.

Cortez stared blankly at his fallen Pokémon before turning the flat look to Meowth, who gave a smug grin back. Then he smiled.

"You've got spunk, cat," he praised while returning Rhydon. "You've left me no choice but to pull out the big one, or I might actually lose." He took out his next Poké Ball, "Try and beat this. Kangaskhan, come on out!"

Meowth looked up as the Pokémon materialized, keeping his face locked into a firm glare to hide how much he _knew_ that he was in for a beating.

The Pokémon before him towered well over three times his height and stared down at him with her hands curled into fists. Meowth looked down past the empty pouch in her belly and saw the short legs that Kangaskhan had.

'It probably has power in its run, but maybe I can still go faster on all fours,' he decided.

But right as he got ready to run, Cortez ordered, "Kangaskhan, Earthquake."

Meowth jumped to dodge the quakes that widened the crevices, but Kangaskhan stepped forward and grabbed him out of the air by his foot.

Held upside down, the feline agent heard Cortez say, "Give up. You don't have a chance."

In response, Meowth spat in the direction he heard the voice coming from.

"Fine," the man replied, looking at the spit that had landed near his shoe. "Kangaskhan, Dizzy Punch."

A whirl of air seemed to coalesce around the Parent Pokémon's free hand, and she punched Meowth straight in the side of the face, letting him go to fly into the arena wall at the same time.

The Scratch Cat Pokémon hit the stone surface with enough force to crack it and drop some rubble and a cloud of dust over him.

Cortez turned to the host, "He's done."

Stars shot out from the cloud and Kangaskhan raised her arms in a guard as they hit. The sound of rocks rolling came from Meowth's spot, and the dust settled to reveal him climbing out. His clothes were covered in dust and rubble, the shirt with a nasty tear in the shoulder from his impact.

" _Who's_ done?" he snarled. "It ain't over yet!"

The Kangaskhan sighed with a shake of her head and moved forward without any prompting from Cortez.

* * *

James worried at Meowth pushing himself so hard. He wasn't weak anymore, but he was no match for a fully grown Kangaskhan. Not only that, but one owned by a veteran Trainer. He simply didn't have the strength or tricks to overcome his opponent.

Discreetly checking to make sure that everyone's eyes were on the match, he slipped to the back of the crowd and pulled Weezing's Poké Ball out of the miniature trench coat before opening it and taking out a Super Potion and Burn Heal.

* * *

Meowth repeatedly charged his opponent, only getting a few hits each time before he got swatted away. He did learn from the last time, keeping his distance and jumping away whenever Kangaskhan got ready to use Earthquake. But each of his scratches only left tiny marks on the Parent Pokémon's large body.

He had even tried using Flash again, but Cortez had warned his Pokémon to be careful when he was underneath the lights. And the most he could get without standing directly under one was a few ineffectual white sparks.

The feline agent was practically running on willpower alone after a while. Under the rubble from his opponent's first Dizzy Punch, he'd been about to pass out when he suddenly wondered something.

Was that really all he could do?

All of the training he'd gone through and he was still nothing next to any Pokémon that could throw its weight around. Rhydon, he'd beaten by using his weakness to water, but one punch and he was down.

It'd made him furious to see his best overshadowed so easily. Quite frankly, he wasn't really sure how he was still fighting. Everything was just one big red blur.

But he recalled seeing a giant fist on its way to intercept him again and he scratched at it before it hit.

Everything went black after that.

* * *

Brook knew the fight was over when the red aura around Meowth had gone out. Charmander were a special case with Rage, their rising emotions indicated by the flame on their tail, but the rest gained a red aura that strengthened their attacks relative to how much damage they'd taken.

He doubted the talking Pokémon had noticed his scratches cutting deeper with every punch given his practically feral state near the end.

Weezing floated overhead and flew down to retrieve Meowth in his larger mouth, holding him by the tail before inflating to compensate for the extra weight.

* * *

James moved back to the front of the crowd and took Meowth into his arms before returning Weezing. He spotted Jessie looking at him and mouthed, "I'm taking him to get patched up. Keep going."

Right as he took off to run with Meowth in his arms, the agent stopped and turned to the bookmaker, "What are the odds of Rachel winning?"

"Two Poisons with a Flying-type in the mix against a Kangaskhan, a Machoke and an unknown?" The man gained a calculating light in his eyes before saying, "Three-to-one odds."

"Put all of my winnings thus far on Rachel," James said, handing over the complete stack of three thousand dollars.

The bookmaker grinned and did so, handing James a voucher before the blue-haired teen ran off. But not before he grabbed Dalton on the way out.

He leaned in close and whispered, "Make sure he doesn't skip out on me."

"Do I get a cut?" the boy asked in a business tone.

"But of course," James magnanimously agreed. "Twenty percent. With the payout being nine thousand dollars, that's eighteen hundred for you. Consider it a gift from me for being such a big help."

Dalton smiled, "Done."

James smiled with a polite thanks and left the underground chamber. He didn't trust the bookmaker to keep his word. The criminal knew the look of greed on another crook's face, after all. He wanted to make sure the man made good on his winnings.

* * *

 **And that's a wrap! I really wanted to finish the Underground Tournament arc this chapter, but it was already dragging on and I didn't want a monster chapter so much larger than all the others. I hope you all enjoyed it.**

 **Notes:**

 **1\. Sing has always been a bit of a double-edged sword in the anime, since anybody and everybody that hears it is knocked out, but there's nothing saying that a Pokémon can't whisper it and get the same effect on a single target.**

 **2\. In the anime, Self-Destruct and Explosion are never portrayed as kamikaze moves, just very exhausting, only leaving the Pokémon injured and/or unconscious. Just ask Brock's Pineco/Forretress**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	18. Chapter 18: The Florist and the Snake

**Review Responses:**

 ** _jaguarspot_** **: I'm glad you're enjoying the story.**

 **Also, to answer your question, every reasonably powerful opponent winds up being completely useless as the others after one or two episodes. And with no Zap Sapper in canon, Gyarados would probably be pretty regularly defeated by Pikachu's Thunderbolt. How Ash/Misty/Team Rocket didn't think of that in the actual episode when Gyarados was after them, I'll never know.**

 **I mean, I know that Gyarados is this huge Pokémon that's the terror of the seas, but it's still a Water/Flying-type. It's _quad-weak_ to electricity. Then again, Ash has never paid much attention to type advantage in canon.**

 ** _TheShadowOfZama_** **: In order.**

 **1\. Thank you, I try really hard with the battle scenes. Keeping a sense of ambiguity in regards to the winner between those two groups in particular is one of the most important aspects.**

 **2\. As for Jessie's team, I _did_ set up some base characterization for Fearow and Beedrill at least. Fearow is very much a prideful fighter like Jessie and is mainly redoubling her training to get revenge against Pidgeot for the crushing defeat he handed her last time. Beedrill was part of a hive mind, and as such didn't have much individuality, so he's going through a new experience by having essentially the queen bee of his new hive acknowledge him specifically.**

 **3\. Admittedly, I didn't touch much on Ekans, aside from the fact that she's been with Jessie the longest and thus has the most experience and the closest connection with her. But there'll be more on Ekans later.**

 **4\. James's team was actually fairly easy to write and have them bond with him because he's already a caring person that devotes a lot of time to his Pokémon in canon. He even outright states in one episode ( _A Poached Ego_ ) that he and Weezing are like brothers. It's easier to write his Pokémon's personalities since they essentially get more screen time from him caring and talking with them.**

 **Jessie cares too, but she doesn't show it quite as often or as long as her partner does to his Pokémon.**

 **5\. In regards to Meowth, I had him trained up since I figured that there was no way my version of Jessie and James would let him slack off and not train when all of the other Pokémon were. I feel that his inability to learn moves was more psychological than physical. In canon, he himself sometimes forgets that he's a Pokémon.**

 **I'm glad that you're enjoying the story.**

 ** _Snoozing Lurker_** **: …Not really sure how to take that, but since you say it's a good thing for the matches to be predictable in this case – which I suppose they were, since Jessie was clearly going to fight Pearl and Meowth, Cortez, since Jessie had mentioned weakening his team for her – I'll take it as a compliment.**

 **And I suppose Chapter 17 does have very little progress since it's mainly the prelude to the finals, so point there.**

 **I hope you enjoy the finale of the Underground Tournament.**

 ** _The King of Ranting_** **: As mentioned above, I feel that his inability to learn more moves was from a psychological block than a physical incapability.**

 **Also, fair enough to that, but I feel that Meowth still wouldn't let them request an increase in budget since (if they succeed), they not only get the tournament prize money, but get to split James's winnings that he made on the side.**

 ** _BrightNova169_** **: In order.**

 **1\. I'm glad you're enjoying the battles. I've been told that it was pretty obvious that Jessie and Meowth were going to reach the semifinals, but it's good to hear that they were still enjoyable fights.**

 **2\. Yes, Meowth lost, but put up a good fight. As James said, Meowth simply didn't have the strength or tricks to beat a fully grown Kangaskhan. Also, I can confirm that Meowth learned Rage, hence the red aura that Brook noticed. But Flash is still a little spotty since he needs to be standing in a direct source of light to use it (i.e. a spotlight, the sun or a full moon).**

 **3\. Yeah, only base characterization for the new recruits, but I'm glad you think it's decent enough.**

 **4\. We'll see whether Ash trains himself later.**

 **5\. About the recruits possibly staging a rebellion, Giovanni typically recruits those that have nowhere else to go or are desperate for money, as James noted. Very few of them, if any, were well off before joining Team Rocket. As such, they're loyal to him since, if the organization falls, they go down with him.**

 **Noah himself, James only made the offer to see how he would react. When he saw that pride wouldn't let him bow his head, he robbed him and left him as a rejected recruit.**

 **6\. I'm still trying to figure that out myself. Obviously there are Trainers from other regions traveling through Kanto/Johto, since Harrison uses his starter, a Blaziken at the Silver Conference. And through that, they know the moves of their regions, but the canon has each region somehow being locked out of communication with each other barring a direct visit.**

 **As for the TRio or Ash and co. discovering the moves by accident, only time and how they train will tell.**

 **7\. True. Whether he was born despicable or became that way, he still did the deed. Damian's dug a deep hole for himself, indeed.**

 **8\. Thanks for your support. :)**

 **Now that that's done, on with the finale of the Underground Tournament.**

* * *

Chapter 18: The Florist and the Snake

James jogged back to the hot air balloon as swiftly as he could while still keeping his steps light. He didn't want to jostle Meowth in his arms.

The blue-haired agent had already used a Super Potion to treat the worst of Meowth's injuries along with some bandages to keep the wounds clean while they healed, but he needed a safe place to leave the feline agent while he recovered. And nowhere was safer than a place guarded by a Gyarados.

After weaving through the trees outside the city, he arrived at the edge of their campsite. Stopping, he took the time to see who was still there. A large crowd of Pokémon was still gathered around, but Damian's pack of Poké Balls had been opened and several bits of smashed Poké Balls were scattered on the ground near it.

He'd expected as much, figuring more than a few of Damian's Pokémon wouldn't want to take a chance with another human. The agent couldn't blame them for taking their chances in the wilderness. He _had_ offered the choice, after all. One thing he noticed was that the malnourished or the ones with more recent or extensive injuries had been the ones to stay.

A frown tugged at his lips, 'They're staying because they know they won't make it out there.'

James did a quick sweep of the remaining Pokémon and estimated that around half had stayed, maybe thirty or so. He also noticed that the Zubat he'd helped earlier was perched atop Gyarados's head. Since the sea serpent hadn't noticed him yet, they seemed to be in some sort of conversation, the bat screeching and Gyarados softly growling.

'Hmm, it seems that I might be getting a new Pokémon myself. Still, I won't bring up the subject. It's up to Zubat to ask.'

With his observations done, James backtracked a bit and resumed his light jog, intentionally stepping on a twig along the way.

When he figured all of the Pokémon, including Gyarados to be alert and watching the spot he would enter from, he said, "Sorry, it's just me." Emerging from the brush and slowing to a walk, he gently indicated Meowth in his arms, "I dealt with some of his more major injuries, but he still needs a safe place to rest."

That said, he walked towards Gyarados, who reached out with one of his whiskers. The appendage looped around before wrapping its end on itself, making a loose cradle. James set Meowth on it and Gyarados turned his head to gently set the feline agent inside the balloon basket he was directly guarding.

"Thank you, Gyarados," James said with a smile.

He turned to leave, only to see the Pokémon still milling around camp again, and their injured states. James's expression fell a bit as he felt a surge of pity for them. They needed help.

He sighed, thinking, 'But I don't have the medical expertise to treat such extensive injuries, only store-bought medicine and field first aid.'

He crossed his arms, considering his options. While James _really_ wanted to try recruiting Cortez if and when Jessie won, he also wanted the Pokémon in front of him to get treated as soon as possible.

'But I know some people that _can_ take care of these Pokémon.'

Checking a silver wristwatch that he'd had as part of his disguise, James decided that it wasn't _that_ late, and Giovanni was probably expecting a call at some point to transfer the Pokémon.

He'd probably miss the final round, which annoyed him greatly for not seeing such a match, but sacrifices had to be made. Besides, he had Dalton looking out for him to keep an eye on the bookmaker until he got back.

James called out to the Pokémon, and once he had their attention, he asked, "Since you all are still here, can I assume that you're going to stay with Team Rocket?"

The Pokémon looked at each other, seeming unsure, but they appeared resigned. James figured that they felt Team Rocket couldn't be any worse than their old Trainer.

Once he got a few nods all around, James nodded back, "In that case, get back into your Poké Balls. I'm going to make a call and have you transferred to the appropriate facilities momentarily."

* * *

Jessie and Cortez stared each other down as the host thumped his cane for silence among the audience.

"The champion of the Underground Tournament shall be decided with this round, so exciting I feel inclined to announce it myself!" the host giddily declared. "For extra fun, let's make it one-on-one for each match-up. I want a nice, drawn out battle! Still no substitutions, though."

"Now, without further ado, the match we've all been waiting for!" he grandly announced.

Holding out one hand, the host intoned, "On this side, the cutthroat teen with Pokémon as deadly as they are graceful, Rachel!"

The audience – with more than a few smitten males cheering the loudest – gave a round of applause, and Jessie blew a kiss to each side in response.

"And on this side," he continued, "the stoic giant whom we've yet to see shaken from his iron disposition, Cortez!"

Claps were still loud, but noticeably sparser for him. A majority came from those that had money bet on him, yelling for him to crush his opponent. But he seemed to pay it no mind, regarding Jessie with crossed arms.

"You two are to release your first Pokémon at the same time," he added at the end. With a thump of his cane, the host called, "Begin!"

Jessie threw her Poké Ball out at the same time that Cortez opened one held in his hand. Beedrill materialized on her side as a Golduck appeared on Cortez's.

"Beedrill, Double Team!" she commanded immediately.

Illusory copies of the Poison Bee Pokémon surrounded Golduck as Cortez simply ordered, "Surf. There's water in the cracks around here from a busted pipe."

Jessie's eyes widened once she heard that it was a water attack, "Rush Stinger!"

With eyes glowing light blue, Golduck cried out and thrust her hands up, causing water to surge upward from underneath the arena. But by doing so, she'd left herself wide open for Beedrill to drop the Double Team and speed forward with Agility, Twineedles aimed at her back.

Golduck abruptly turned and grabbed both of his stingers, also releasing her hold on the water swirling overhead to let it fall down. At that moment, they both got doused with water that obscured them from view in its downpour.

Jessie watched closely and saw Golduck holding Beedrill up by his arms now with one hand, Twineedles held up and away to prevent him from shooting attacks from them. The Poison Bee Pokémon was thrusting his abdomen further, appearing to attempt jabbing her with the stinger on its end.

"Call back your Beedrill," Cortez ordered. "Or I'll have my Golduck use Psychic and hurt it until you have to."

Jessie frowned, but saw what Beedrill was trying to do by angling his abdomen as high as he could.

"Let me see my darling's eyes," she retorted. "It's his decision, and I want him to make it."

Cortez simply signaled his Pokémon to lift Beedrill up higher so that she could still keep his needles pointed away, and Jessie simply looked at Beedrill before smiling.

"You fool."

Beedrill angled his stinger and shot Toxic venom out of it right into Golduck's eyes. Several people in the audience shouted in surprise from the dirty trick while a visible majority cheered that the battle was still on. The host of the tournament laughed from his dais, praising "Rachel" for such a well-executed ploy.

Golduck cried out and instinctively covered her eyes in pain while letting go of Beedrill. He fled as quickly as he could to get some distance. With his wings still soaked it made for an odd sight to see him crawling and leaping across the ground on his legs and Twineedles.

"Try to use Agility on your feet, Beedrill," Jessie called, "and use Swords Dance!"

With a bit of difficulty, Beedrill pushed himself upright, having to compensate for his heavy wings by leaning forward slightly. After a bit of wobbling while regaining his balance, his stingers sharpened into blades and he lunged forward. Even with Agility, his stance was uneven and he barely moved faster than he was crawling earlier as he hopped from foot to foot forward, but Golduck was still blinded at this point.

"Golduck, return."

Right before his blade connected, the Duck Pokémon turned to red energy, Beedrill's attack harmlessly passing through. Golduck traveled back to her Poké Ball held in Cortez's outstretched hand.

At that point, ignoring the host's proclamation of Golduck being disqualified from battle, he called the Pokémon out again beside him and took an Antidote from his pocket.

Pulling Golduck's hands away from her eyes, he whispered, "Hold still. This is gonna sting—a lot."

He sprayed the medicine into her eyes and she yelped before quieting again at a reassuring squeeze from her Trainer. The poison started to break apart and come out as diluted purple tears, exposing her eyes once again, though they were still tinted the color of the venom.

"There, now you rest up," he gently ordered while recalling her again.

With that done, Cortez stood up again with a stony expression, "That was a dirty trick."

"It's a dirty tournament," Jessie unrepentantly retorted. "Strength isn't everything here." She looked down to see Beedrill vibrating his wings to try shaking off as much water as he could during the lull in battle.

Cortez took out another Poké Ball and opened it without another word, releasing his Machoke.

* * *

James sat on his knees in front of the team's communicator, having retrieved it from the basket without waking Meowth. He'd already checked all of the Poké Balls to find them occupied and set them aside so they wouldn't hear the conversation. While he truly wanted them to recover from their ordeal, he wasn't sure if they'd appreciate him essentially taking advantage of what they went through to bond them to Team Rocket.

Matori had answered his call. She told him to hold while she connected him to the Boss. A moment later, the screen came on again and Giovanni regarded him without his Persian attending.

"Is the tournament already over?" he asked, cutting to the point.

James shook his head, "No, Boss. Jessie is still participating in the finals as far as I know. But I have a request to make. Will you hear it?"

"That depends. How many Pokémon and recruits have you managed to gather?"

"Nine Pokémon ready for assignment to agents right away, some time to grow used to their new situation notwithstanding, as well as two operatives to join for sure on separate teams and a potential squad all their own pending recruitment," he reported. "There are also twenty-seven other Pokémon I have that tie into my request. Would you like details?"

"A brief list of the Pokémon, names of the recruits and reasons for recruiting."

"Graveler, Dewgong, Poliwrath, Parasect, Electabuzz, Machoke, Nidorino, Chansey and Scyther," the agent listed.

Taking a breath, he started down the list of recruits, "Brook, recruited for strategy, but doesn't trust the organization. I recommend leaving him at Grunt level with a like-minded strategist to smoothly run small-time operations that won't hurt the organization should they get caught. Also, keeping him in the dark of our larger operations will prevent secrets leaking should he have a crisis of morality and decide to quit. Loyalty _could_ develop, but I wouldn't count on it.

"Dalton, ambitious and impressionable," James continued. "I gave him the standard promise of power in the newly ruled world, and he latched onto it like the power-hungry person he is. However, while ambitious, he also wants secure power, so I can safely say that he wouldn't try usurping anybody of command. Some cultivating of his abilities with the right partner could even lead him to become an Elite Officer."

Moving to the last pair, he finished, "Pearl and Hart, balance and teamwork. I haven't actually convinced them yet, but I've left them aside to talk them to our side. Pearl is clearly the brains of the group, more level-headed in her battling than her presumed boyfriend. Hart is more aggressive and would likely charge any opposition with or without Pokémon if Pearl didn't rein him in. Their dating and potential trouble in finding acceptance in the past could possibly be used as emotional leverage to get them to join. That is all."

Giovanni nodded, "An exceptional haul, assuming you manage to persuade the last two to our cause as well. Now, this request you had involving the twenty-seven Pokémon?"

"The Pokémon have potential, but their former Trainer was weak and despicable," James reported with a disgusted look. "He abused his Pokémon, so I liberated them, but they'll need nourishment back to full strength. I'd strongly advise that they be put in care at the stables instead of the standard cages before being allocated to field agents. That way, their loyalty to Team Rocket will be cemented through gratitude."

The leader gave it some thought before answering, "Very well. Those are usually reserved for well-behaved Pokémon to sell, but I suppose I can make an exception if it pays out as well as you say. I'll have a medic look at the Pokémon too and prescribe a diet plan, to speed up their recovery."

"I thank you for your generosity, Boss," James replied with a bow of his head.

Giovanni chuckled, "Your success puts me in a good mood. Now, I believe I shall be retiring for the evening. Send the Pokémon as well as your official reports to Matori at the tournament's conclusion."

"Yes, Boss."

* * *

Jessie cursed under her breath as Beedrill had to weave around and deflect another barrage of rocks from Machoke, the bee growing tired. Cortez had learned his lesson from the first time and didn't let Beedrill gain any ground towards his Pokémon, who stayed in the center of the arena.

Machoke smashed another portion of the concrete floor with his foot and quickly gathered up the chunks into one arm for more ammunition. Jessie noticed that while he kept his eye on Beedrill and threw one of his rocks when he was gathering them if he approached, both hands were occupied, and his crouched stance wasn't ideal for dodging.

Waiting for Machoke to finish throwing his new load of rocks, she also noticed that Beedrill's wings were mostly dry now, but he was still jumping across the ground instead of flying. Jessie came up with a plan, her best shot at handicapping Machoke for her next Pokémon.

Beedrill dodged another barrage of rocks, panting visibly with a low buzz for each breath, and when Machoke stooped down to grab some more, Jessie commanded, "Beedrill, fly and use Toxic!"

As she had hoped, Beedrill had been pretending to be unable to fly and took the air with his imperfect Agility before spraying venom out of both Twineedles at Machoke, who looked up in time to see it coming down in a wide splash.

The Superpower Pokémon only had time to shield his eyes from the falling poison before getting drenched. Soon after the venom started to take effect, a blazing red aura appeared around Machoke, signifying Guts.

But before he could capitalize on the power up, Jessie held out her Poké Ball, "Beedrill, return."

The exhausted Poison Bee Pokémon didn't move and the beam connected to recall him.

"Beedrill is disqualified from the battle," the host intoned.

After that announcement, Jessie spoke to the container, "You did wonderful, my darling. Rest up."

Once she put his Poké Ball away, Jessie paused and held a finger to her chin in faux pondering, "Hmm… I wonder which Pokémon I should use next…"

Cortez's eyes narrowed in suspicion before they widened again as he looked at his Machoke with his Guts aura still flaring, but no opponent to use it on. The venom was still in his system and coursing through.

"Should I send out…?" Jessie dithered. "No, that wouldn't work…"

* * *

Mitchell gritted his teeth as he watched Rachel taking out one of Cortez's Pokémon without even a single attack. And Cortez _knew_ that, judging from the scalding but impotent glare.

The bookmaker looked up at the host, hoping that he was getting bored and would disqualify the girl for taking too long, but it was quite the opposite. The middle-aged man looked amused to no end from the ploy as he quietly chuckled to himself. A quick look to Cortez revealed that he was glaring at the host as well.

He tried to find discontent in the audience, but didn't find nearly enough since a majority were laughing at such a powerful opponent getting outwitted at every turn. Even those that had bet on Cortez simply looked resigned to the fact they'd bet on the wrong horse.

Cortez, seeing that he wasn't getting any help, took out his Poké Ball and recalled Machoke. He knew his opponent could spend however much time needed pretending to think about it while the poison did its work. Rachel's superior smirk indicated that she had known exactly what she was doing and was now patting herself on the back for one of her "flawlessly executed" plans.

The bookmaker cursed internally as the man in the arena called out Machoke again to treat his poison. He needed Cortez to win since everybody else had made small bets revolving around him, instead of all-or-nothing. Those winnings, he could pay off.

'But that heir… If he actually wins, he'll not only sink my whole night's profits, it still won't be enough! I'll actually be in debt to the little princeling!'

Mulling over his options, Mitchell decided that he'd dodged worse than a ticked off heir. He'd escaped whole gangs before, the small-time kind, but still.

He snorted, 'Using the entire underworld as my hiding place leaves little chance of any topsider finding me if the ones that live in it can't.'

Turning away from the battle, Mitchell decided to make himself scarce while everybody was distracted. Cortez was just now recalling Machoke and all eyes would be on him as he called out his final Pokémon.

The bookmaker headed towards the exit with his hands in his pockets, the way clear as the audience grew tense from Cortez calling out Kangaskhan. It was the deciding factor after all, whether the girl could take down the massive Pokémon or not. Perfect time for slipping out.

'Better to keep my money instead of being forced to turn it over and still owe more,' he decided while making his way down the corridor.

At least that's what he thought before a pair of hands burst from the ground to grab his ankles. He was about to slip out of his loose boots to make a break for it, but the grip tightened to where he couldn't—much tighter and stronger than any ordinary grip, feeling like stone.

'Crap! A Pokémon!'

That was the last thing he could think before he got pulled into the ground. Stuck up to his waist, he soon heard footsteps coming from further in the corridor. A Geodude also emerged from the ground in front of him, which explained how he got taken by surprise.

A brunette teen with a leather jacket and studded gloves emerged from the shadows. Mitchell recognized him as one of the competitors, but couldn't place the name. Regardless, the boy grabbed him – unfortunately by the shirt collar and not the trench coat so he couldn't slip out once free – and uprooted him from the hole with a strong tug.

"Going somewhere?" he asked with a savage grin.

Mitchell chuckled nervously as he realized that the heir had known he would try to flee and sent one of his attack dogs to wait in ambush.

"Eh-heh-heh… Bathroom?"

* * *

Jessie pursed her lips as Cortez's Kangaskhan emerged. She only hesitated briefly before sending out Fearow. The Beak Pokémon could test her massive opponent for weaknesses, and the agent wanted to save Ekans for last.

While Fearow and Beedrill were far faster than the Snake Pokémon with their aerial maneuvers, Ekans remained the strongest of the trio. Jessie wanted a definitive plan before sending her out against such a daunting opponent.

Once the Flying-type appeared, she immediately had to use Agility to dodge a Dizzy Punch from Kangaskhan. Fearow flew up towards the ceiling where Kangaskhan couldn't reach, but Cortez didn't look deterred.

"Thunderbolt."

Fearow's eyes widened as electricity started generating around Kangaskhan's claws, and she thought fast before attempting the only thing she could to dodge it.

The bird blurred with speed until multiple doubles appeared, flickering occasionally to reveal Fearow's true form blurring through before she moved again. Though imperfect, the Thunderbolt shot through one of the fakes, dissipating it.

Fearow dropped the illusion afterwards and immediately used Mirror Move to copy Thunderbolt. The counterattack was mainly to catch her breath from the exertion of moving so fast. She would have to try Double Team again once she had a firmer grasp of how it worked.

Kangaskhan sidestepped the bolt shot from her apparition and fired another, Fearow tried a regular dodge this time, but barely managed to keep ahead as her opponent kept firing.

Getting an idea, she dipped low and Kangaskhan went for another punching move. She managed to dance out of her reach again and carefully observed the move before using Mirror Move again.

An apparition of Kangaskhan appeared again, this time winding up for a Dizzy Punch. Kangaskhan appeared to get caught off guard and took the hit to the chin. Fearow crowed in victory, but a hand grabbed her straight out of the air while she was looking back.

Her eyes widened when she saw another Kangaskhan standing before her. The one that had taken her apparition's punch glowed white before vanishing in a poof of smoke.

"Substitute," Cortez explained. "Surrender."

Fearow answered for Jessie with a defiant crow, her eyes glinting with Mirror Move. A miniature, translucent apparition of a Kangaskhan appeared around her body before disappearing. At first it appeared to have no effect, but her body glowed white the same as Kangaskhan's had before vanishing.

The Parent Pokémon whipped around trying to find her opponent, and Cortez called out, "Sweeping South Back Punch!"

Following the command, Kangaskhan swept her left fist outward and back while turning her head in the same direction to spot her opponent, making Fearow abort her Javelin Strike on her upper arm and target her side instead. Her beak didn't make much impact against the Parent Pokémon's thick skin, but she retreated to avoid her counter and kept sweeping around to try finding more opportunities to attack.

The Beak Pokémon wouldn't give up. She wasn't a meek hatchling; she was one of the most dangerous birds in the sky! Even if Fearow lost, she'd ensure her opponent got an injury to remember her by.

With that in mind, she used Mirror Move to conjure up another apparition using Dizzy Punch. This time, as she'd hoped, Kangaskhan met the attacking image with her own punch since Fearow would just copy Substitute like last time to escape.

But the Normal-type's right fist was fully extended and in a deadlock with her apparition's attack, so Fearow took the opportunity to go for the right side of Kangaskhan's face. The Parent Pokémon's eyes widened at the sight of Fearow's claws headed right for her, but she shut her eye once Fearow's target was clear.

Fearow savagely attacked the eyelid, leaving several scratches along the surface before she got slapped aside by Kangaskhan.

Hitting the wall of the arena, Fearow held back her cries of pain to avoid giving her Trainer's opponent the satisfaction of her surrender. Still, she knew that she was done. Even with a single hit her wings had taken damage from her impact.

Knowing that, she looked up at Kangaskhan's damaged eyelid while she charged a finishing Thunderbolt. It had several red scratches over it, one set deeper than the other, so the Parent Pokémon had to keep her eye closed to avoid aggravating the stinging wounds.

"[I hope _that_ scars,]" Fearow said spitefully.

Kangaskhan fired the electric attack without reply, and Fearow forced her beak to stay shut as the shock coursed through her.

Forcing herself to stay standing, she laughed while trying to keep her voice even, "[That's your Thunderbolt? Seems I was afraid of noth-]"

Another shock and she was starting to stumble.

"[Nothing. I know a little Pikachu that gives better shocks than you!]" she mocked through her strained voice.

One more Thunderbolt had her on the ground, but she was still defiantly conscious.

"[Pathetic… You don't stand a chance… if this is all the electricity you can-]"

Finally, she got knocked out from Kangaskhan's Thunderbolt after the fourth strike.

Jessie then held out her Poké Ball solemnly, "Fearow, return."

"You could've saved it a lot of pain if you'd just recalled it sooner," Cortez pointed out.

"You know nothing about us," Jessie retorted. "Fearow refused to bow her head, and that makes me proud to be her Trainer. I wouldn't take away her pride."

She threw out her last Poké Ball, "Ekans, go!"

The Snake Pokémon emerged and coiled up, watching her opponent carefully.

The host thumped his cane, "Begin!"

"Kangaskhan, Earthquake!"

Ekans's eyes widened, and she immediately sprung into the air, since it was the only place safe from the tremors that started up. Unfortunately, Kangaskhan grabbed her by the neck out of the air with her claws.

The Snake Pokémon immediately used Acid on her opponent's hand, but didn't get any stronger reaction than a wince.

"Thunderbolt!"

Ekans got shocked a moment later, but the voltage had nothing on Pikachu's own Thunderbolts, so she shot some Poison Sting barbs at the weakened skin before her. But the Parent Pokémon's tough skin, even weakened, was still enough to make them break before puncturing.

Seeing that Ekans was still attacking, even with a constant Thunderbolt coursing through her, Cortez ordered, "Enough electricity. Just slam it on the ground until it's knocked out."

As she was lifted up, Ekans tried shooting acid into Kangaskhan's open eye, but she blocked it with her other hand.

Ekans was whipped downward, and everything went dim for a moment as her head hit the ground.

* * *

 _She lay coiled in her box, the glass allowing her to see outside, but never interact. Ekans wasn't very eager to meet children and their grabby hands, but it would've been nice to have the option._

 _A half-eaten bowl of Pokémon food was nearby, but it didn't particularly interest her. What was the point if she didn't hunt and earn her meal? It wasn't like she was sick; she could fend for herself if the people let her._

 _Then again, her last owner didn't seem too happy when she found out about that. But Ekans wasn't sorry. She was a snake. Snakes hunted._

 _One day, things had been fairly normal when somebody came up to her box. Unlike the others, this one stopped and looked, so Ekans turned her head slightly to look back. A fairly portly human, their hair was tied up at the top, so she couldn't really tell whether they were a male or female, and they seemed to be a jovial person._

 _Soon after they left, the back of her box opened up and Ekans was recalled into her Poké Ball. Despite what some humans seemed to think, Pokémon could get a decent impression of what was happening outside of their container. Sounds still leaked through, which is how they could receive commands upon release, and smells wafted in through the seam of the sphere._

 _Using her tongue to sense what she could of the outside smells, Ekans detected one of her handlers before the sound of a bell rang._

 _The Snake Pokémon tilted her head in confusion. Where had she heard that before?_

 _'Ah, right. That bell rang whenever one of the humans took us from the building.'_

 _Another scent made its way inside shortly after, smelling like flowers, and it persisted for a while before Ekans heard a strange sound repeatedly. Something sticky being pulled before it snapped and then the crinkling of paper being pressed. She recognized the latter from when neighboring boxes had their papers changed._

 _Deciding that what happened would happen, Ekans coiled up and closed her eyes for a rest until she was called out. A short while later, from her perspective at least, she heard a shout that woke her from her nap._

 _"SURPRISE!"_

 _A scream that followed made Ekans wonder just what was going on. An ambush?_

 _"What are you doing in my apartment?!" the screamer demanded._

 _"And nice to see you too," the first voice replied with aplomb. "It's your birthday!"_

 _"How did you find out?"_

 _A chuckle, "Well, you didn't seem to remember, but I saw you a while back when I was trying out that restaurant you worked for. I never thought I'd meet you when you applied to the flower shop, and thought that you never really celebrated if you moved jobs so often. So I went over there and asked your old boss. I'm just glad we got to celebrate it."_

 _Ekans felt her Poké Ball jostled slightly as crinkling paper sounded again, "Here! Your present."_

 _There was the sound of ripping paper and she heard the container her ball had been placed in pop open._

 _"A Pokémon?"_

 _Ekans was released and she emerged facing away from the one who opened her ball, so she coiled up while turning her head to face the human._

 _"Sorry I couldn't get a cuter one," the other apologized. "Pokémon are expensive, especially popular ones, and this one was all I could afford. I was told it's a girl."_

 _Ekans stared at the human, figuring them to be a female from the length of their magenta hair. It actually reminded her a bit of a snake tail with the way it curled inward at her waist. The girl tilted her head with a raised eyebrow and Ekans mirrored the gesture, curious about her apparent owner._

 _As if she had passed some unspoken test, the girl nodded with a smirk, "Thanks, Veronica. She's perfect."_

 _"Really?"_

 _"I love cute as much as the next girl, but Ekans has an elegant charm to her that not every Pokémon can attain," she explained. "Much like myself."_

 _"Of course, Jessie," Veronica replied good-naturedly. "Now, how about we have some of this cake?"_

 _Jessie. Finally a name to put to her owner._

 _But before she could linger on the thought, Ekans felt something from the floor underneath them. Stilling and extending her forked tongue, she smelt something and followed the scent until she found a hole in the wall between the stove and a cabinet. Squirming her way through, she tore the hole slightly larger and went inside the wall._

 _Veronica started apologizing, but Jessie dismissed it, "Let her. I think I've been having some problems with rats, and if she deals with them then all the better."_

 _Inwardly, Ekans felt elated as she tracked down a Rattata living in the building and caught it for her dinner. She felt that she finally had a home with this owner._

 _A few months passed before Jessie was recruited by a talent scout for a modeling job._ **(1)** _Ekans herself had posed while draped across Jessie's shoulders and arms for some of the shots. When the modeling agency wanted her to get rid of Ekans for a more 'on-trend' Pokémon, Jessie had quit and resumed her travels. And the two had been inseparable during all that time._

 _When Jessie's various relationships ended badly, Ekans was there to comfort her. When Ekans got hurt during an especially rough battle, Jessie cared for her with what little she knew of Pokémon medicine._ **(2)**

 _Several times, Jessie had referred to Ekans as her one irreplaceable companion, her one true friend. Whereas acquaintances in her various jobs and boyfriends had come and gone, the Snake Pokémon was always there._

* * *

Ekans's vision cleared when she got slammed against the ground again, still in Kangaskhan's grip. Apparently no more than a few moments had passed during her memories, since the battle was still going.

'Jessie saved me for last because she believes in me,' Ekans reminded herself. 'I won't let her down. I'm _still_ her prime partner. I'll show this brute the true power a snake can wield!'

"Ekans!" Jessie's worried call rang out, seeing her Pokémon beginning to regain her bearings as Kangaskhan prepared to slam her again.

"Finish it off, Kangaskhan," Cortez commanded.

Ekans shot another wave of Acid at Kangaskhan's face, and she shielded herself again, but the Snake Pokémon used that distraction to wrap her dangling lower body around her opponent's wrist as she hissed louder.

As she kept squeezing, her body started gaining the wispy white aura of Strength to it, and there was a cracking sound as her constricting suddenly tripled in strength. The crowd rooting for Jessie cheered as Kangaskhan released Ekans while shouting in pain from her broken wrist, and she unwound her hold to drop to the ground.

But the aura remained even as Ekans' entire body flashed white. The crowd's cheer turned to a roar of excitement.

Cortez's eyes widened and he frantically ordered, "Earthquake, Kangaskhan, _NOW_!"

Cradling her injured wrist, the Parent Pokémon raised her foot, but the evolving Pokémon lunged forward with her lengthening tail and caught the descending limb with her strengthened appendage, wrapping it more and more as her body grew and changed.

Even as Cortez ordered a Thunderbolt, which the evolving Pokémon shrugged off, Jessie could only stare in awe as her Pokémon grew nearly twice her length and developed a wide hood right below her head, which became sleeker in shape.

The light finally faded, revealing her new cobra-like appearance and the pattern on the underside of her hood and belly reminiscent of a menacing face. The evolved Pokémon used her bind to crush Kangaskhan's ankle as well, forcing the Parent Pokémon to take a knee once she released her.

"Chaaaarbo-k!" she cried ferociously with fangs exposed and forked tongue lashing out as Ekans finished her transformation into Arbok.

"What a rare sight!" the host enthused. "A Pokémon evolving at _my_ tournament? Quite the treat! Let's see what Arbok can bring to the battle. Or, rather, what's left of it."

Jessie beamed with pride at her Pokémon, before the expression turned to a smirk as she regarded Cortez.

"Seems the tables have turned," she smugly pointed out. "How about _you_ surrender?"

The man gritted his teeth and noticed that Arbok was still pretty close to Kangaskhan and ordered, "Body Slam!"

Arbok sprung back as her opponent lurched as far forward as she could with her remaining foot to attempt falling on her, but the Poison-type's tail still got pinned by the Parent Pokémon's shoulder.

Jessie shook her head, "Now who doesn't know when to quit?"

"Dizzy Punch!"

"Wrap, Arbok," the agent ordered with an exasperated sigh, getting no more satisfaction from the battle.

The Cobra Pokémon expertly weaved around the fist, angling her upper body to keep the hood from getting struck, even as Kangaskhan attempted striking multiple times. She then wrapped a portion of her middle around her remaining wrist. Even without Strength, she was holding it tightly and not letting go as she tried to free herself.

"Break it."

Arbok called on Strength once again, but the aura barely appeared before Cortez's shout interrupted.

"Dammit! Kangaskhan, return."

Before Arbok could crush Kangaskhan's other wrist, the Parent Pokémon turned to red energy, making her coiled body phase right through the now intangible limb.

"Disqualified," the host announced. "The winner is Rachel!"

* * *

Brook blinked, not having expected the outcome of the battle.

Granted, if Ekans hadn't evolved when she did, there was little chance of her turning the battle around, even with Kangaskhan's wrist being broken.

Cortez left through the exit as Arbok turned back to her Trainer and nuzzled against her, Rachel happily congratulating the Cobra Pokémon for her victory. The Poison-type now towered over the teenage girl, but still behaved as docilely as before.

The host stood from his chair, cane in one hand and briefcase in the other. One of the ever-present bodyguards called out a Machamp, who stooped down as the middle-aged man stepped toward him. Supporting his upper body with the two right arms and his legs with the lower left, the four-armed Pokémon jumped down from the dais into the arena with his Trainer's employer while the two bodyguards jumped down on their own.

The three landed softly, the Machamp standing and allowing the host to the ground again before he stepped forward to stand before Rachel. Arbok moved aside, but loomed behind Jessie, behaving much the same as the host's own bodyguards.

"Congratulations, Rachel," he stated with a wide grin beneath his mustache. "Not just for winning, but making for such an entertaining contestant this night. Truly, such cunning and ruthless Trainers as you are what I throw these tournaments for."

The host extended the hand holding the briefcase while raising his cane and regarding the audience, "To the winner of the Underground Tournament!"

Cheers rang out again, and Brook simply smirked, figuring that whoever "Rachel" was, the Rocket agent who recruited him knew her.

Recalling that said criminal had made a bet with the bookmaker, the teen looked around through the cheering masses to notice that he'd left. Dalton was also nowhere to be found, so Brook assumed that the agent had commissioned him to intercept.

Once the cheering died down, the host announced, "I thank you all for attending, and I hope you've enjoyed yourselves. Now, if you'll leave, my people need to re-bury this room in cement and patch the water line to erase our presence here."

Brook slipped away first, wanting to find where Dalton had taken the bookmaker and wait there for when the blue-haired teen got back.

* * *

 **Wound up having to cut this chapter off early as it was getting to be really, really long (10,000+ and still going from where I was) and I had to divide it into two chapters. Good news, that means that the next one is already mostly written. Still, I'm glad that I managed to finish the final round of the tournament at least.**

 **Also, I didn't lie at the beginning. The Underground Tournament is over, but not the arc yet.**

 **Notes:**

 **1\. In the episode _Spring Fever_ , Jessie mentioned being a model once.**

 **2\. Jessie _did_ go to nursing school, as revealed in _Ignorance is Blissey_. And since the competence boost is retroactive, she took what she learned with her even though she still couldn't graduate for not having Pokémon abilities.**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	19. Chapter 19: When the Smoke Has Cleared

**Review Responses:**

 ** _Bored321_** **: In order.**

 **1\. Jessie's proven time and again that she's more than just anger and muscle. It _was_ her who made the connection to Beedrill, like bees, being dazed by smoke. She enjoys toying with her opponents if she can afford it, but knew that if she tried to brute force Cortez's Pokémon, she would lose.**

 **2\. Thank you, I'm glad. In the end, I guess Meowth really _did_ get a Pokémon that reflects Jessie's personality.**

 **3\. Sorry about that. I know that the Underground Tournament arc isn't really much in the name of plot development, but it had to happen. Maybe it's somewhat predictable – I've been told that the entire arc is – but I wanted Giovanni to give them an assignment instead of just having them follow after Ash.**

 **Also, maybe it doesn't feel that long because it's all taking place over one night.**

 **4\. That question… will be answered this chapter.**

 **5\. Perhaps it is uneventful. It's supposed to just be a routine assignment/evaluation of Squad 13's skills.**

 **As for introducing the recruits – shrug – I just didn't want them to be flat people with no back story. There are already enough faceless masses in the organization, such as those on the St. Anne.**

 **6\. Fair point, there. I can think of quite a few martial arts tournaments from anime that were mainly fight scenes with hints of plot underneath (i.e. Stop the bad guy by defeating him in the finals).**

 ** _Guest (March 5th)_** **: Did not realize that, as my brain automatically files all Pokémon as able to be male or female. I went back and fixed all of the pronouns, though, personal, possessive and even the rare reflexive. Thanks for letting me know.**

 ** _The Sinful_** **: Yeah, they may be criminals, but they're always sweet to their Pokémon, both in canon and here.**

 **I'm glad you like my interpretation of Giovanni. There never seemed to be much of his character revealed early season, aside from his constant exasperation at Canon!Squad 13, so he was interesting to write.**

 ** _The King of Ranting_** **: In order.**

 **1\. Yeah, I've been told that the outcome of the tournament was pretty predictable (Jessie and Meowth get to the semifinals, Meowth loses to Cortez, Cortez loses to Jessie). But I'm glad that I was able to surprise you in some way.**

 **2\. Sorry about that, I'm pretty bad at telling when someone is joking/sarcastic, even when I'm speaking to them in person. (^v^;)**

 **3\. We'll see. Both of those make their first appearance in the Hoenn and Battle Frontier seasons, respectively, so there's no way to tell right away. Only time will tell.**

 ** _Guest (March 6th)_** **: It doesn't really matter if Gyarados' scales conduct electricity or not. Apparently they do, since he's a Water/Flying-type and not a Dragon-type. This is the same game that says Rock Pokémon are weak to water, even when it takes a _long_ time for water to erode rocks IRL, and that Fighting-type moves (punches) can break _steel_.**

 **So I've heard. But I appreciate that I managed to do well in your eyes despite the foregone conclusion.**

 **I'm glad you enjoyed those little touches. I try to flesh out the characters in my story, even if I don't get to them right away.**

 ** _TheShadowOfZama_** **: In order.**

 **1\. Thank you, I figured it was the type of villain that made the most sense. He seems like a businessman-type able to recognize advantages of kindness.**

 **2\. We'll see. I can guarantee that I'll try to find a place for them to appear in the story. I should tell you now, some of them might not appear in Kanto. It gets kind of hard to keep track of so many characters without making them faceless.**

 **3\. I'm glad you enjoyed the final battle.**

 **4\. We'll see.**

 ** _BrightNova169_** **: In order.**

 **1\. Yeah, Jessie was fully willing to take advantage of the loose rules, and perhaps some of the other contestants in the offscreen fights were, too. And while Ekans has evolved into Arbok, recall that Jessie identified Ekans as the physical strongest of the group, it's just that Beedrill and Fearow could move faster and fly.**

 **Although, with her evolution, going off base stats alone (which doesn't include how much Ekans "leveled up" from being with Jessie longer), Arbok can now slither faster than Beedrill's regular flying speed (meaning without him using Agility).**

 **2\. Yeah, I used the English dub's origin that mentioned Jessie getting Ekans for her birthday once—which means that in this universe, James got Koffing for Christmas (probably at a white elephant gift exchange).**

 **I'm glad you liked the flashback. It took me a bit of time to decide which angle to approach it by.**

 **3\. I did find out about that after I'd already chosen the name, so while I liked the clever coincidence, it was just chance.**

 **4\. It was actually his first time moving without flight. Jessie came up with it on the fly (LOL).**

 **5\. Trainers like Damian are a rarity, and quite vilified, if the audience's reaction to his Pokémon's condition are any indication. Even arrogant jerks like Noah treated their Pokémon with care if not respect (not very effective Fire Blast on his own Pokémon to hit Beedrill notwithstanding). Whether or not it's because of Team Rocket or common courtesy is unknown, but I like to think it's the latter.**

 **6\. We'll see. I honestly can't wait to get back to the events of canon as well. I didn't expect the Underground Tournament arc to continue this long, although I probably should've.**

 **7\. Since they didn't target them in canon, they won't target them here, more than likely. Jessie and James never seemed to rob a place for money or even things like clothes. Mainly food or whatever parts they need for their scheme of the week. Either way, maybe it was that they didn't think of it, maybe it was not to draw attention to themselves, I dunno.**

 **Also, big name locations like Silph Co. and the Celadon Department Store probably have much higher security. That aside, usually they'll just buy something or "charge it to the Team Rocket account (Princess vs. Princess)" if they need it. At least until later seasons where they're dead broke all the time.**

 **As for Silph Co., I have a reason why they wouldn't rob it, but we'll get to that later.**

 **8\. I'm glad that you like my portrayal of Giovanni. I figured the same thing.**

 ** _Snakespur_** **: I'm glad you enjoyed, I try to keep the various characters' personalities. I'm not really sure if I'll cover Weezing's backstory, but we'll see.**

 **On with the story! Also, can you believe that these past four chapters took place over one night? I certainly can't.**

* * *

Chapter 19: When the Smoke Has Cleared

James sent the last Poké Ball to Matori, finally totaling up to twenty-seven. The secretary nodded and confirmed that she'd received the last one before hanging up.

Letting out a sigh of relief, the agent got up to leave and check in with Dalton and Brook. A little hiss made him stop and look around. Eventually, he tilted his head to look into some bushes at the edge of the glade. The same Zubat that he'd helped, if he wasn't mistaken.

She fluttered lightly out of her hiding place before settling back on the ground.

"Hi," James greeted. "I didn't send your empty Poké Ball, did I? I could get in trouble for that."

Zubat shook her head shyly.

"You had yours smashed, then?"

A nod.

James sighed through his nose with a soft smile, "I'm guessing you want to come with me, then?"

Zubat nodded again, and James offered his hand for her to climb on before bringing her up to settle on his shoulder. She clung on with her wings to keep herself steady and James nudged her back to the proper position when she almost fell off.

"I'm not going to catch you yet," he explained. "There are a few things you should know about what I do. After you've seen them, _then_ you decide whether or not you still want to come with me."

The Bat Pokémon felt that he was being completely serious and nodded again.

"Good. For now, you may want to hook your teeth onto my jacket," James recommended. "I need to run."

Zubat did so and still nearly fell off when James took off. Only sinking her teeth slightly deeper into the rough fabric kept her from being left behind.

* * *

Jessie knew very well that she was being followed.

Ever since she left the arena with her winnings, she had that persistent feeling of being watched, and even heard some scuffing footsteps from somebody attempting to be stealthy.

Smirking since she knew who it likely was, she deliberately turned into the network of alleyways instead of heading outside the city. She didn't want to lead him back to the balloon, after all, even if it would be amusing to see his reaction to Gyarados.

Taking some arbitrary turns, she honestly had no idea where she was going, so it didn't take long for her to reach a dead end.

"Oh, dear," she theatrically sighed. "Seems I've gotten myself lost."

Turning around, Jessie saw Cortez step into the sequestered alley with one hand in his pocket. He came forward, and the Rocket agent could see desperation in his eyes behind the stony expression, which piqued her interest. She took in his attire again, the polo and suspenders holding up his slacks. If his expression were a little bit friendlier, he'd probably fit right in behind a counter somewhere.

'He really needs this money, doesn't he?' she realized. Then she smirked, 'And I can use that. I'm not as clever a speaker as James, but desperation has endless possibilities.'

As expected, once he was close enough, the man took out a sheathed bowie knife from his pocket and uncovered it. Discarding the case and raising the blade up threateningly while holding his other hand out, he commanded, "Give me the money."

Without a word, Jessie swung her leg and kicked at the hand holding the blade, sending it flying over his shoulder while he shouted in pain from the impact to his limb. But when he turned to move and get the knife back, the female agent pirouetted around to be in front of him again and shot her foot into his abdomen with a back kick.

Cortez clutched his stomach, stumbling back a couple of paces before his back hit the wall, and Jessie smoothly lowered her leg again while turning to face him by spinning on her toes until her raised foot touched down.

"Knives aren't toys for pointing," she chided, "they're for action. Either use them or keep them hidden for a sneak attack."

The man recovered relatively fast, having had his abs to somewhat guard against the blow, but figured that getting the prize money from Jessie wouldn't be as easy as he thought. He could tell that she knew that too as she swung the briefcase over her shoulder with a smirk.

"You know, I _could_ just have Arbok deal with you, but this'll be _much_ more fun."

Jessie smirked and goaded him with two fingers, "Come on, then."

* * *

Dalton held the bookmaker against the wall with his Geodude locking the man's feet together in a firm embrace, keeping him from running, and the sleazy man sweated nervously. They were behind the abandoned warehouse above the passage to the Underground Tournament, away from anybody who might be entering or exiting.

Brook had found them relatively easily, citing the fact that it was easy to figure out considering that Dalton would want to be out of sight, but easy for James to find or vice versa. The black-haired teen currently looked on from a few feet away, not really caring either way about the bookmaker.

"So, Brook says that Rachel managed to win against Cortez," he remarked with a dark smirk while curling his free hand into a fist, popping the knuckles while also drawing attention to the studded gloves. "That means you owe my friend a lot of money."

"Heh-heh, look…" the bookmaker tried reasoning, "I was just going out to find him."

"Oh, good," the teenager said in a saccharine tone. "You can wait right here with the rest of us, then."

"Eh-heh… The thing is…" The sweat drops on his face seemed to multiply. "I don't actually… _have_ nine thousand dollars…" His face paled as Dalton loomed dangerously closer. "On me…?"

The brunet cocked a fist back, "Am I gonna have to take the difference outta your hide?"

He heard some quick footsteps before a hand gently, but firmly, grabbed his wrist.

Dalton's eyes snapped to the side as he got ready to fight, but they widened when he saw it was James holding him back. Idly, he noticed that the agent had a Zubat clinging to his shoulder now.

"Please," he requested, "there's no need for such drastic measures."

Brook curiously spoke up, "How'd you find us so fast?"

"Zubat here heard Dalton's intimidation as well as the bookmaker's thumping heart," James explained. "You were just a bonus find since you were here as well."

Still holding Dalton's wrist, the blue-haired teen looked at everybody around with a disappointed expression, "Hm… If everybody's here, it seems I missed the final round. A pity."

"I can give you a blow-by-blow, if you want," Brook offered, still trying to find small ways to get on the agent's good side.

"I'll be fine, thanks," James replied. "First, I heard that the bookmaker doesn't have enough to pay out my winnings." He offered a friendly, trusting smile to the captive man, "Perhaps we can iron out a payment plan? You'll tell me where to find you, yes?"

"Of course," the bookmaker replied with a similar smile. 'And I'll be long gone the instant you turn your back.'

Something seemed to occur to the teen, "Oh, there's just one thing. I've got a little secret for you."

James waved Dalton away, who let go, but told Geodude to stay locked around his captive. The agent leaned forward and whispered a few sentences that only he, Zubat and the bookmaker could hear.

As he went on, for around half a minute, the man grew paler with each quiet word. His eyes widened, pupils dilating with fear, and he couldn't even move his mouth from the grin he was wearing at the start. In fact, it seemed to become stretched and brittle from sheer terror until he couldn't take it anymore.

The bookmaker's expression slackened all at once as his eyes rolled up into his head before his eyelids shut and he slumped against the wall in a dead faint. James then stood up straight again with a satisfied little smile, and Zubat seemed to regard him slightly more subdued than before.

"What'd you _say_ to him?" Dalton asked. He'd intimidated a few people in his day, but he'd never made one of them faint outright before.

James squatted down and unbuckled the bookmaker's bag before casually answering, "Oh, I just informed him of whom I work for. I got the impression that he felt he could slip away into the criminal underground, but Team Rocket _is_ the underground in Kanto, as well as quite a portion of the surface."

Granted, James doubted that the Boss would send agents just to hunt down a man to pay off a bet that he had made, but the bookmaker didn't need to know that.

The agent opened the bag and checked how much money was inside. He'd been taught to handle quite a bit of money in his past, so he was able to give a fair estimation from squeezing the bag to see how full it was, as well as jostling the contents to see how often the varying bills appeared—not nearly enough to pay off his winnings.

"A shame," James noted while taking out the bundle of cash and straightening it out before counting it. "Seems it might not be quite the payout I hoped, but regardless…" He pulled out a short stack of hundreds and twenties and counted them out before holding it out to Dalton, "Here, eighteen hundred."

Both teens blinked, Brook because he was unaware that Dalton was getting paid.

"Huh…?" the brunet asked.

"I promised you eighteen hundred dollars, didn't I?" he explained as he took Dalton's hand and placed the money into it. Then he crossed his heart, "I may deceive or mislead my enemies, but I'm a man of my word and never tell direct lie if I can avoid it. My partners, not so much, so I let them handle the lying if it's necessary. That way, if I need someone to trust me, I've preserved that… feeling of honesty, you know what I mean?"

Dalton nodded, "I get it, but… aren't you a criminal?"

"That may be, but one shouldn't be so quick to discard empathy and charisma," James retorted. "They can open doors."

Even though Zubat didn't have eyes, he still glanced meaningfully at her to see her pondering. James hoped his message was clear. While he _did_ save her along with the rest of Damian's Pokémon, he was still a villain. Empathy sometimes compelled him to act virtuously, but he'd just as soon use it like any other tool at his disposal.

He didn't want Zubat to raise him on a pedestal because of one nice deed only to become disillusioned later.

But James quickly moved past that and smiled again while taking out the rest of the money to count it, "Now, we _should_ go see about Pearl and Hart. They've been waiting for quite a while"

Dalton smiled back and grabbed the unconscious bookmaker to drag him along, "You got it, Boss."

"Ah-ah-ah," the agent corrected with a raised finger. "Only the leader of Team Rocket is the Boss. You know my name."

The brunet nodded while scratching the back of his head, "Right, my bad."

Brook watched, amazed that the agent already had Dalton practically eating out of his hand. Not only that, but he rewarded the brunet's trust and loyalty by giving him a cut of the winnings. He blinked as he realized that apparently Dalton actually knew the agent's name whereas Brook himself was still in the dark on the subject.

He concealed the realization behind his apathetic expression. The black-haired teen wasn't stupid. He knew that the preferential treatment was because the agent was aware of how little Brook actually planned to stay with Team Rocket. The surprising fact was that he had figured it out by speaking to him twice.

The question was whether he learned it from Team Rocket or if it was a personal quirk. If the former, he would have to step carefully and avoid being manipulated into going too deep. Whether he was loyal or not, he wouldn't be able to leave if he saw too much.

* * *

Jessie turned the bowie knife in her hand, examining the quality as she popped her neck, "I have to admit, you actually gave me a good workout. You even managed to _almost_ get a hand on my hair. Then again, that was your third mistake."

She had lost her sunglasses sometime during the fight, and her hair was loose now, back into its typical curl. But she still had no visible injuries, and was in far better condition compared to Cortez.

Her attacker lay on the ground, bruises all over him with a black eye and a busted lip on his face. He tried to move, but she stomped on his back to hold him in place without taking her eyes off her new weapon. While she didn't have her steel heels, Jessie's foot still hurt immensely coupled with the pain his body was already in.

She ground her heel in between the man's shoulder blades as he groaned in agony, "Your second was picking a fight with me when I disarmed you, and your _first_ mistake was thinking even for a _moment_ that you could just mug me for my rightful winnings."

"H-how…?" Cortez muttered, and then cringed when Jessie raised her foot to stomp on his back again.

Jessie sheathed the knife and stuck it into a pocket on the front of her coat, the hilt still sticking out, "Not that it's any of your business, but I've traveled around a bit and picked up a few things. I've been a ballet student, hostess, florist, model, ninja, style consultant, beautician-" **(1)**

"W-wait, go back a few…?"

"Ah, yes," she said in faux reminiscence, "my days at the hidden ninja school. My stealth was average, and my ninja arts were lacking. But combat, well, I'm sure you've gotten a good idea of how I did in that." Jessie ran a hand through her magenta curl, "My teacher always said long hair was a disadvantage in a fight. I proved him wrong and even created the unique fighting style you've now experienced before I moved on."

Said style used her knowledge of ballet in conjunction with the controlled taijutsu style she'd learned at the ninja school. With the two combined, it made for a fluid and flexible martial art that revolved around evasion by bending or spinning to dodge the hits while smoothly counterattacking in between.

Thorough understanding and practice of ballet was a prerequisite for developing balance and flexibility as well as incorporating the precise movements into muscle memory. Predictably, it primarily revolved around kicks and knee strikes, but it had a few elbow attacks and grapples involving both the arms and legs for tying up and bending the opponent into submission or manipulating their body in a style reminiscent of a ballet duet, striking them as you swung them around and directed their limbs. That last one was Jessie's favorite, and what allowed her to defeat her taijutsu sensei, all without him landing one hand on her hair.

In fact, her style had several counters specifically for grabs against her hair. The fact that her sensei kept reaching for it to prove a point only helped her eventually defeat him.

Jessie swung the briefcase around her finger as she turned to leave, "Welp, this was fun. Ta-ta!"

"W-wait!" Cortez begged with an outstretched hand. "Please! I need that money! I'll lose everything without it!"

Jessie stopped, pretending to consider the statement before glancing over her shoulder, "You have one minute to explain. I'm needed elsewhere."

Cortez didn't hesitate, "My bar, I run one here in Gringey City. Used to be popular spot before all the factories and plants expanded. It's going under. Even with the occasional waves of shady customers, it's not enough."

"Why don't you move your business?" Jessie asked.

"I would if I could," the bartender answered. "The pollution drove out the people who used to run the bank. That got converted into the industrial complex too. That's _why_ I was competing in the first place. The prize money would've let me move, and make at least a downpayment for a small building. Then I could get an actual loan and work my way back up."

"Hmm, so you desperately need money," she pondered. "What if I offer you a job? The signing bonus is way more than what that man was offering for his tournament."

"What kind of job?" Cortez carefully asked.

"Bars tend to attract all sorts of information," Jessie explained with a smirk. "I bet you heard about the tournament from one of your few customers. And your battling skills certainly don't hurt."

She stepped towards the exit of the alley, "Why don't you come with me to negotiate with _my_ boss?"

Cortez looked deeply suspicious of what she had planned, but they both knew he didn't have any real choice if he wanted to save his bar. So he quietly stood up and limped after Jessie.

* * *

James adjusted Mitchell (he'd found a wallet with an ID inside, but empty of money) comfortably against the wall and opened the closet that Dalton had said contained Pearl and Hart.

Peeking inside and seeing the two teens awake and seated against the wall, he smiled, "Hello. Sorry to keep you waiting, I had other business to attend to."

"What? More kidnappings?" the blond teen asked with a piercing glare. James noticed that his eyes had yellow irises, which made for a rather intimidating gaze.

That is, if he didn't have Jessie for a partner.

Still, he groaned in disgust as he stepped inside followed by Brook and Dalton, "Please don't use such an ugly word. I needed to talk to you, and I asked Dalton here to set you aside for me to meet later."

When Hart's glare didn't let up, the agent rolled his eyes, "Look, I'm sorry for any rough treatment you had to endure, but you're not going to glare me into submission. Your eyes are intimidating, yes, but you have nothing on how scary my partner can be."

"Why did you bring us here, then?" Pearl asked, placing a calming hand on her boyfriend and keeping an eye on Dalton returning his Machop and Oddish.

James turned to her, "To offer you both a place with Team Rocket."

Hart's eyes narrowed again, "And why would we want that?"

"Because I can see that you aren't accepted."

Both teens were caught off guard by that statement, and James internally smiled at that gamble working. A safe bet, but a bet nonetheless. Keeping a sedate exterior, he pressed on.

"You two look like you come from different worlds, yet you stay together." Gesturing to each of them, he said, "You, Hart, keep slightly in front of her, ready to protect. Pearl, you stay behind, but have a fire that shows you wouldn't easily play damsel-in-distress, as well as directing Hart and keeping him calm. It's such a synergy that can only be achieved on the battlefield or in love."

He placed a hand over his heart, "But it can hurt to love, and the fact that you come from different worlds threatens to have people from one or both try to tear you apart or use the other for leverage. Hart protects because Pearl's been in danger before. You two travel together because the parents wouldn't allow him to stay. Am I right?"

Hart didn't even bother to hide his aggression as he stood up and visibly tensed, despite the fact that James remained relaxed and didn't make any threatening moves.

"What do you know?" he demanded.

Pearl stood up with him, glaring as well as she asked, "We made our decision, and why should we side with you anyway?"

"Team Rocket takes in those who have no place else to go," James replied. "Teaches them the skills and gives the funds to survive in the world as informants or inducts them into the forces that'll revolutionize the world. It's right in the motto, 'To unite all peoples in our nation.'"

The agent tilted his head, "You two have traveled quite a while, haven't you, unable to find a place where your love was accepted. You think you're the first pair to be offered a place with us? Team Rocket would change the world to weed out such discrimination. Why not be a part of that change?"

That seemed to give Pearl pause, but Hart said, "Why should we believe that anything you say is true?"

"Because," James started, "believe it or not, I _am_ on your side. I went through a similar situation to yours, the only difference being that I had to leave my cherished one behind."

That caught not only the couple's attention, but Dalton and Brook's.

"Back home, day in and day out, it was lesson upon lesson from my tutors, my parents grooming me as an heir to the family name," he recalled. "Daily pressures, high expectations, and I was _homeschooled_ , so I wasn't even allowed to pick my own friends outside the few children from other families my parents _let me_ see."

James sighed, "I don't know if I'd have been able to bear it if it wasn't for my one light in the entire estate. Having him in my life was the first and only good thing my parents did for me."

'Him?' the four teens in the room thought incredulously, recalling how he'd mentioned leaving behind his "cherished one".

"He was my only true friend," James continued, oblivious to the ideas his listeners were getting. "Everybody else, I grew to realize that they just wanted connections to my family. But he was always there, loyally and unconditionally. Though the pressure became too much when my parents put me in an arranged marriage."

Pearl and Hart wondered if that "friend" was the reason why he didn't want his fiancée. Dalton tried to puzzle out his and James' previous interactions, trying to figure out if the agent was hitting on him and how to let him down gently if he was. Brook figured that there was more to the story and wanted more information before jumping to any conclusions, but also filed away any and all information on the agent since he was still trying to figure out how much he'd need to be careful of other agents in Team Rocket.

"I wanted to take him with me when I left, truly, but I wouldn't have been able to provide for him," James lamented.

The couple in the room was incredulous that he'd considered eloping with this person. It really _was_ quite similar to their story, just with his love left behind. Of course he had to run away, adults would never understand, especially not those from the stuffy upper class.

"So, with a heavy heart, I left him behind, knowing that my family would take care of him." His features hardened, "If only to keep him as leverage to try drawing me back if they ever found me."

"So… was this guy one of the nursemaid's sons or something?" Brook tentatively asked, unable to bear the ambiguous picture the agent was painting.

James blinked in confusion and turned to him, "No, he was my pet Growlithe. Why?"

When he got odd, and exasperated, looks in reply, the agent thought through what he said. The teens could tell he figured it out when his eyes widened and a blush tinted his cheeks.

"Okay, that is _not_ what I _meant_ ," he clarified, trying to compose himself. "My friend was my pet Growlithe, and there was no relationship aside from the one I wanted to get _out of_. Besides, if I were like that, I wouldn't have had to run away. My parents would've disowned me much earlier than when I left and had another child."

Once James calmed down, he continued, "Regardless, I didn't like my lot in life, so I wandered around a bit before coming to Team Rocket. If you don't like the way the world treats your relationship, change the world. Nobody in the organization will care about who's with whom since almost all the agents had a hard life, in some form or another. Anybody picking on one gets mobbed by others of the same group. And the higher-ups' only rule on romance is to stay professional while on missions."

"And what about those _outside_ the organization?" Pearl asked.

James shrugged, "Eventually, they'll realize that Team Rocket's rule is what's best for the world. And once our ideals spread into the education, people will learn not to discriminate against others. After all, discrimination is one of the biggest contributors to our recruitment drive, second only to poverty."

Finished with his appeal, the agent then tilted his head in question, "Well? Will you join or not?" After a bit of time with no answer, he stood up again.

"Take all the time you need to come up with your answer," he offered. Beckoning with his hand, he walked out, "Come, Dalton, Brook."

The trio exited the closet, leaving the couple behind. Once they emerged, they noticed that Mitchell was awake now, but quietly sitting with Geodude still wrapped around his ankles. The instant he spotted James, he sat up straight at attention.

"Hey, I've got your money," he quickly explained.

James raised an eyebrow, "I thought you said you didn't have enough."

"I also said 'on me'," Mitchell replied. "I can take you to my safe house. I've got more money stored there."

"Very well, then. Dalton, if you would?" James requested.

At the brunet's command, Geodude released his hold on Mitchell's legs. As the bookmaker stood up, James handed a folded paper from his pocket to Dalton, "Here, this paper has a map to the pick-up point. They'll be leaving in…" He checked his watch, "about an hour. If Pearl and Hart agree, take them with you. If not, or if they take too long to decide, just leave them."

"Really?" Dalton asked. "You don't want us to take their Pokémon if they refuse?"

"We don't need to," James answered. "I've already planted the seeds in their minds. Whether it's tonight, a week, or however many months, I believe they'll join Team Rocket in due time. One will cave, and the other will join. They're inseparable."

He turned to Mitchell, "Lead the way, then."

* * *

Pearl and Hart shared hushed whispers, wondering if anybody was listening in. The topic was, sure enough, whether or not to join Team Rocket.

Hart was adamantly against it, saying that the blue-haired teen was trying to trick them into joining. Pearl, on the other hand, didn't see a reason why they _shouldn't_ join. Society hadn't really done them any favors, always acting leery towards Hart and, by extension, Pearl.

Ironically enough, while neither teen cared about the social stigma they received, each of them were angry that the _other_ received it.

The blond didn't want Pearl getting in actual trouble with the law since she'd already run away from home to be with him, but Pearl was adamant that she didn't care about that. What she wanted was for Hart to be able to walk down the street without having to conceal his eyes and not be shunned—for other couples to not go through the same things that they did.

"Besides, you're only in trouble if you get caught."

With her decision made, and Hart deciding to stick with her through it (He was already branded a delinquent from his eyes alone, what difference was it joining a criminal organization?), the couple exited the closet to find the blue haired teen gone, but Brook and Dalton waiting.

As that crossed their mind, they blinked and looked at each other.

The agent had never given them his name. If they had refused, they wouldn't have been able to report him.

Regardless, Dalton got their attention and informed them of the paper he received with the map.

* * *

"Yes? Oh, the four are headed over? Good. Come back quickly then."

Hanging up his phone, the leader of tonight's recruitment party chuckled to himself. After destroying the evidence, he'd had two of his track Jessie and James to see what they were doing. The one after James had noted that he'd left with an unknown, and not towards the rendezvous point, but it wasn't his concern so long as he got the recruits.

He'd gotten a call earlier from his other man that Jessie was bringing Cortez as well. It was actually quite lucky that the bulky man had been following her for the money. She'd actually seemed to be aware of his man tailing her until Cortez made a sound and took the suspicion off once he'd exposed himself. After silently watching Jessie beat the man into submission and recruit him, his own man had taken off to avoid her detecting him again.

A thud sounded from the rooftop followed by footsteps heading to the skylight. The glass was moved aside before James's watcher dropped in, still wearing the disguise of his "bodyguard". Once he stood up, he immediately took off the suit, revealing the standard Rocket uniform underneath. The grunt threw the clothes aside for his temporary partner to catch and pulled his hat from inside his pants to put it on his head.

The leader smiled at the two next to each other, tall, intimidating and bulky. The important part of disguising two bodyguards was to have them look similar to the archetype, so they were pulled from headquarters specifically for this assignment.

"Jessie and Cortez are close, three blocks away," the new arrival reported. "I saw them from the roof."

Tapping his finger against the cane in his hands, the leader said, "I see. I'd best get changed, then. Might as well submit my own report while I'm at it."

"Jackie, Taylor, get ready to receive our first recruit," he ordered. "I'm going to call the Boss's _lovely_ secretary and slip out of this old suit."

The teenage boy, now in a Rocket uniform of his own, but possessing different colored hair, raised an eyebrow, "Do you really need to keep up the-?"

"Shh," the man interrupted before raising his cane to point at the boy. "You never know who might be listening. If you must refer to me by a name, then use my role's true name."

"Fine, _Morton_ ," the teen replied, turning to his partner, who had longer hair of a different color than before. "Let's just go, Jackie."

The two left muttering about ridiculous numbers of aliases. Nobody even knew if the name Giovanni had on record of the disguise specialist was his real one or a codename.

Slipping into the back, beyond a door into another room, Morton took out his phone again and dialed a very special number—an unregistered line that only a handful in the entire organization knew by heart, not written anywhere.

Hooking his cane over his arm, and folding said arm against his chest with the fingers drumming against the crook of his other, the man waited until the other end picked up.

"Who is this?" the familiar detached tone demanded.

"It's me," Morton answered, his voice changing to his true tones.

"Name."

"Come on, Matori, you _know_ -"

" _Name_."

Sighing with a roll of his eyes, the man groused, "Can't just let a guy have his fun. Fine. Petrel, reporting in on the evaluation of Squad 13."

"Report."

"Meowth defeated each of his opponents up to the semi-finals, though one had severely weakened Pokémon, and he put up a respectable showing against the opponent he lost to considering that he was vastly outclassed, managing to take out a Rhydon with clever use of the environment," Petrel reported.

"Jessie actually managed to win against the same opponent, fighting dirty against the first while putting on an act to get her Beedrill into position and using the loopholes I left in the rules to defeat the second Pokémon. Her Ekans learning Strength and evolving into Arbok managed to defeat Cortez's Kangaskhan, easily."

Matori replied, "Satisfactory progress."

"Matori," the man began with a sigh at her continued clinical tone and vocabulary, "you need a hobby or a sordid affair."

" _Continue_."

With another roll of his eyes, the disguise specialist did so, "One of my bodyguards kept an eye from the dais on James in the audience the entire time. Aside from making bets on the outcome of the fights, he pursued every competitor that I would've had mine go after. Whether to recruit or rob them, I'm not sure, but all the same in the end. His Pokémon were loaned to Meowth under the alias-" He couldn't help the stifled chuckle. "-Mr. Pokémon."

"What."

Petrel did laugh at the secretary's utterly perplexed tone. In between guffaws, he said, "Hey, seemed to work all the same. People go under aliases all the time, and it certainly made _my_ evening. Took all I had not to bust out laughing the instant he was announced for his preliminary fight."

Getting himself under control, he resumed his report, "Anyway, Weezing and Mankey were able to work together well to take down their opponents. Weezing took the fliers with some occasional assistance from Mankey, and vice versa. My favorite was that Weezing would weigh the fliers down with Sludge before passing them on to Mankey. That's it."

"Recruits?"

"Five. The runner-up of the tournament, one semi-finalist and three quarterfinalists. One potential team of a pair of them."

"Thank you, that'll be all."

Deciding to get in one last jab for making him use his real name, Petrel added, "Hey, I'm serious about that affair." Despite the non-video communication, he winked with a grin, "You know I'm tight-lipped."

Only the sound of the line hanging up answered him. With a chuckle, he set the communicator down on the ground. Wouldn't do to put it in his pocket when he was changing outfits.

Taking the cane in his hands, he popped the top off before taking the silver tip off the bottom as well. Rods of wood were easy to make, lacquer and varnish to look ornate, so he put the accessories in a handy pocket stitched on the inside of his coat before snapping the rod of wood in two to store alongside them and dispose of later. Next, he removed his top hat and pressed it between his hands, revealing it to be a fake, collapsible copy that he tucked onto the other side of his jacket's interior.

With both gone, he set about changing his suit.

Petrel _loved_ hefty disguises since it made it easier to layer other disguises underneath them. Taking off the face and head as one whole mask before the bodysuit followed, he went from the affable, middle-aged tournament host to a stern and muscular redheaded human resources agent of Team Rocket in his prime with a uniform to match.

Folding up his removed skin, clothes and all, he lifted his blazer and undershirt to tuck it into a seam disguised as a scar along "Manfred's" front, fitting it between his true lanky frame and the outside of the suit. He'd designed the material himself to not bulge outward, but to fit what he needed between the two layers composing it, and, if anything, bulge inward to disguise the fact it was holding something.

He picked up his miniature communicator and hooked it to his current uniform's belt while walking out of the backroom, ready to greet the agents that Squad 13 had recruited. At the appointed time, he would call the agent outside the city to come in with the van that would drive them to headquarters.

Putting on his character's favored expression of neutral, you're-not-worth-my-time attitude he'd seen himself in the HR offices, Petrel walked out to "survey the recruits".

* * *

James watched as Mitchell climbed up a chain-link fence barely taller than him and waited until he was descending the other side before jumping up to balance on the bar on top, ignoring the points of interwoven metal. Keeping his balance, he jumped down to the ground and waited for the bookmaker to finish his descent.

The man had led him through a complex path of alleyways and even a short path through the sewers. This fence had just been the latest of obstacles, and it didn't even seem to have business being there in such a secluded space. Looking to both ends of it, James noticed that it wove through the narrow space between two buildings, so he figured it guarded some other property and this was just extra.

Mitchell finally touched his foot down and turned, continuing to lead James further.

"You're not leading me to some sort of trap, are you?" the agent asked.

Mitchell shook his head, "It's only a little further."

Sure enough, a few turns later, James found himself standing before a poorly built shack. It looked like it was held together by extra boards hammered over the walls themselves.

" _This_ is a safe house?" he asked. "It looks like it could collapse at any moment."

"I build 'em. A secret location is more important to me than the look of the building. So long as it _doesn't_ fall, it's good enough for me. Wait here."

"Of course."

Mitchell pulled out a thin piece of metal and wriggled it inside the doorway, seeming to be used to navigating it. Once he moved it up, he pushed the door open and pocketed the metal strip again. James noticed that a small block of wood fell into the doorway once the bookmaker was inside.

'An automatic lock, so long as he prevents it from falling with that thin piece of metal,' James noted.

The door stayed open, and James could see Mitchell moving around inside. The man soon called out, "How much money you got from tonight's pool?"

Deciding to see if he could get away with it, James answered the amount remaining after he'd paid Dalton.

Mitchell came out a moment later with a fat stack of bills in his hand. "Here, take it," he said, all but shoving it into James' hand. "Just pretend we never met."

James counted the money and found it to be the exact amount that brought his remaining money up to $9000. He had a feeling that the greedy man knew that he had lifted some money from his bag already. But James also knew that Mitchell was terrified of who stood behind him and accepted the hush money.

Turning away, the Rocket agent innocently replied, "I've already forgotten what you look like. Farewell."

* * *

Once the Rocket agent turned into the alley leading back to the fence and manhole they'd come in from, Mitchell let out a sigh of relief, 'Dodged a bullet there. Thank the maker that I had enough money stowed in this safe house. Team Rocket is _not_ the kind of heat I want to draw.'

Heading back inside, he cleared out anything of value or importance from the room, years of practice letting him do it quick and efficiently while storing everything into the multitude of pockets in his coat.

'Time to skip town,' he decided. 'Even if he keeps quiet, I don't want them to think that they can find me here. Might even wanna hide topside for a bit. The underworld isn't safe right now if he gets any ideas. Celadon sounds nice this time of year. Fall's coming, and lots of parks will be looking for extra groundskeepers to work that part of the year.' **(2)**

Soon, he had everything stored in his pockets, and slipped off one shoe before running to the bed. Tearing off the sheet, he revealed the low quality mattress and ran his hands over it until he found the familiar tear. Reaching inside, he found what he was looking for: a Poké Ball. He didn't carry it with him often since there was always the chance he could get mugged and there was no real safe place to store the sphere that he'd thought of yet. All the same, he was glad he'd decided to leave his Pokémon in case things went south, because if he'd had him, there was the chance that the Rocket agent would've found him.

Mitchell expanded the Poké Ball and opened it while heading back to the center of the room.

The white energy drilled into the ground, making three holes that tunneled closer to each other while the bodies took shape. Once the light faded, three brown-furred, cylindrical mole heads looked back up at him. Their only features were a pink nose on each face and their oval eyes.

"Trio!" they greeted.

Mitchell smiled at his Pokémon and companion of many years, "Heya, bud. Heat's on right now; I've already got this safe house cleared out. First we'll head back to the next nearest underground base for some dinner, and then we'll start making our way to Celadon." He shrunk the empty Poké Ball and put it in his empty shoe before slipping his foot back in, pushing the sphere all the way to the end where his toes didn't quite reach.

"Dug-trio!" the Mole Pokémon chorused in response before heading underground. The hole widened as they moved aside more of the dirt and concrete to make way for their Trainer. Once Mitchell was inside, he took off his coat and tied it around his waist by the sleeves, since he knew it was going to heat up soon, and put on some sunglasses.

The hole closed up above him and he heard the comforting sound of shifting dirt as Dugtrio moved around him. Nothing could touch him down here, not with his Pokémon on guard.

The hollow chamber soon lit up and became warmer as an orb of energy formed above Dugtrio's head. It wasn't Flash, but through training, Mitchell had taught his Dugtrio to pack a bit of energy from Sunny Day into a sphere, making a weak artificial sun to light the way for him.

Dugtrio beamed at him, and Mitch nodded, "Thanks, Dugtrio. I see you've also managed to dial back the heat this time. Good on you." He gestured forward, "Let's go."

* * *

Jessie tapped her foot while at camp, waiting for James to arrive with the briefcase containing the prize money in her hand. She had already dropped off Cortez at the pick-up point before returning and had expected to find James back here. When she asked Gyarados, he'd pointed out Meowth still asleep in the basket and moved his whiskers reminiscent of a shrug in regards to where specifically James had gone.

The communicator was also already out when she got back, oddly enough. Again, Gyarados confirmed when asked that James had already sent the Pokémon he'd taken.

She heard footsteps and turned her attention to the edge of the glade to see James come in with a Zubat on his shoulder.

"Where have you been?" she demanded.

James waved a hand placatingly, "Turning potential recruits to our cause, shaking down a dodgy bookmaker for the money he owes me, business as usual."

"You?" Jessie asked with an amused smirk. "Shaking down somebody for money?"

"Not _physically_ ," the male agent amended with an air of confidence. "Such barbaric tactics are beneath me."

Jessie chuckled and added, "A bookmaker, huh? Did you win a lot of money?"

"But of course. I _did_ bet on you most of the time," James replied. "On that note, you'll simply _have_ to tell me how the final battle went later. I wasn't able to catch it, unfortunately."

"Does it have something to do with that Zubat?"

"Ah, yes," he remembered. Offering his hand, he held Zubat in front of him, "Do you understand now? I saved you, but I'm not a hero. Far from it, actually. I arranged care for your former teammates at Team Rocket's stables both because I sympathized with them and they'll be likely to bond with Team Rocket if offered kindness as opposed to what that scum did to you all. I truly believe what I told Pearl and Hart, but that doesn't change the fact that I converted them into performing criminal activity for the sake of that belief. Empathy alone does not make a hero."

He tilted his head questioningly, "Now that I've thoroughly prevented you from holding me to some unrealistic standard of virtue, do you still want to join me?"

Jessie watched in fascination as James talked. She didn't get to see James' persuasive side too often, only once during his taming of the Squirtle Squad, and always wondered how he did it all without telling a single lie. One time, when they were leaving HQ to find Ash again after dropping off said squad, she had asked him. His eyes had gained a faraway, but somewhat displeased look as he gave his answer.

 _"I learned it."_

He refused to elaborate after those three words, and Jessie let it go after that since she wasn't exactly keen on sharing meaningful details about her past herself.

Her mind was dragged back to the present when Zubat started screeching in some sort of language system.

"Zubat, I know that you're probably saying something important, but Meowth isn't able to translate." He held up one, and then two fingers, "One screech for yes, two screeches for no."

"Scree!"

James smiled warmly, "Very well. If you can accept me, then I accept you." He reached inside the side of his pants and pulled an empty Poké Ball from the pocket of his uniform underneath. Expanding it, he said, "Welcome to the team."

Zubat tapped her wing against the sphere and turned to energy before being pulled inside. The button glowed with no shaking for a few moments before going out.

Jessie pouted, "Now you have more Pokémon than me."

"Zubat won't be battling without more time to recover if I have anything to say about it," James informed. He put her Poké Ball away with his other ones and said, "Now, let's give our report to Matori, divide up the money from our respective winnings and get some sleep."

"Sounds good."

* * *

The morning sun rose over Gringey City the next day, making it look marginally better than at night. By the time it was over the horizon, Jessie and James had already woken up, filled Meowth in on what happened, had breakfast (James giving another few sips of blood to Zubat for her recovery) and taken off in their balloon back to Porta Vista.

Luckily for James, especially, since Officer Jenny became flooded with reports from those that he'd robbed. All of them reported the same thing, stolen Pokémon. Some lost one only, others a few, and one ill-tempered teen had his whole team stolen. The latter had been able to give a description of the thief, blue hair down to his chin and green eyes.

The officer briefly thought of the teen she'd met last night, but didn't believe such an upstanding citizen could be the thief. Blue hair wasn't all that uncommon. She, the one who'd given the description, and her prisoner all had the color in various shades. And the perpetrator could've easily been wearing contacts.

Jenny assured them that the police would do all that they could to track down their stolen Pokémon. Meanwhile, she decided to check in on her prisoner.

* * *

Damian woke up to the sound of a loud metal clang, sitting straight up and reaching for a pack of Poké Balls that wasn't there.

A quick look around revealed that he was in a jail cell that seemed to take up half the room and, thankfully, he was all alone inside. An Officer Jenny was on the other side, seeming angry as she put her police baton back on her belt.

As the events of last night came back to him, he rushed up before gripping the bars of the cell.

"Why am _I_ in here?!" he demanded. "My Pokémon got stolen by some blue-haired bastard!"

"Yeah, right, you creep," Officer Jenny replied. "That Trainer freed your abused Pokémon. Once I call the League inspectors, your license _will_ be revoked. You'll never be allowed to have Pokémon again."

"What?! You can't do that!" Damian protested.

Jenny just turned away to the door leading out of the room, "I can and I am. End of discussion."

"Wait, wait, wait," the Trainer stammered, trying to think back to what he'd heard. "It was Team Rocket that took 'em!"

Officer Jenny stopped and Damian kept on talking, "Yeah, the guy said that he was working for Team Rocket! If you don't get my Pokémon back, then he'll-"

"Enough!" the officer commanded. "I can't believe you'd tell such an outrageous story to make yourself look like the victim."

Officer Jenny slammed the door shut as she left Damian in the cell. The very idea that he was trying to shift the blame on that nice boy was infuriating.

Seeing that she didn't believe him, Damian called out his last resort, "Oy! Ain't I entitled to a phone call?"

* * *

The man in charge of Team Rocket's stables looked down at the pack of Poké Balls that he'd received this morning as he stood in one of Team Rocket's stable rooms. They were quite spacious, allowing for multiple Pokémon to be placed in at once.

If half of what he'd heard about these particular Pokémon was true, then he wouldn't be able to easily approach them. For once he regretted his rather bulky appearance since they needed a meeker human, if a human at all, to care for them.

'If a human at all…' He snapped his fingers before taking out a Poké Ball of his own.

* * *

Damian's Pokémon were released one by one as they looked around their new living conditions. The surroundings certainly didn't disappoint. There was actual dirt on the ground with grass growing and even a few trees and other plants such as flower bushes and other such foliage. A somewhat large and deep pond was also nearby, which Poliwhirl and several other Water Pokémon had gleefully hopped into. The high ceiling had several skylights that let in the natural morning light.

The only indication that they were confined was the rather imposing metal walls that made up the four ends of the spacious room and the tinted one-way windows near the ceiling.

The remaining Pokémon, along with those still being released turned around, expecting and wary of a human, but blinked in surprise at their appearance.

Instead of any human, it was a Machoke that was still removing their Poké Balls and releasing one Pokémon after another. He also had a cart filled with several full bags and jars of what a few of the gathered Pokémon recognized to be nectar.

Unlike the typical Machoke, who wore only wrestling shorts with their signature belt, the one before them had additional garments. Brown leather chaps covered their legs, the missing seat showing the Superpower Pokémon's traditional attire, and a leather vest slightly lighter in color was wrapped over their torso, open to expose his musculature.

"[Howdy!]" he greeted with a friendly smile once he threw out the last Poké Ball. "[Name's Cal, I'll be looking after you all for now. My Trainer figured y'all might be a little skittish 'round humans, so he had me come on out to ease you into this.]"

Cal noticed their growing anxiety and waved his hand with a carefree smile, "[Oh, don't you worry about a thing! My Trainer's one of the nicest humans you'll ever meet. He'll look after you along with me and somebody else to nurse y'all back to health. After you're better, then some of the other humans will come by to look.]"

"[And… are the other humans nice too?]" a Raticate asked.

"[They'll take care of you,]" the Machoke answered, his smile becoming a bit dimmer. "[I'm gonna be straight: This is a criminal group. A good amount of the Trainers you'll see have done bad things before, but they always take care of their own Pokémon. This stable right here is where the well-behaved ones get to stay. The rest of the places aren't as comfortable, but a Pokémon's never gone hungry or been injured outside of a battle or training with any of the humans around here.]"

Grinning again, the Superpower Pokémon put a hand on the cart, "[Speaking of, I hope you all are hungry! I brought enough Pokémon food, fruits, berries, fresh leaves and nectar to give a Snorlax indigestion! We can have those of you that need treatment looked at after breakfast.]"

* * *

Once the morning sun reached Porta Vista, Ash woke up early again and stretched a bit before turning to Pikachu, who was rubbing his eyes clear.

He let out a relieved sigh, whispering to his Pokémon, "Yesterday was great. With no Team Rocket attack, I was kinda worried they'd try to get us here while we were sleeping, but a full night's rest too."

Pikachu voiced his agreement before his and Ash's expressions turned serious.

"But now, back to training. We don't know when they'll attack again."

* * *

 **Finally, the Underground Tournament arc is done! I hope you've enjoyed it, because the next chapter is going to be focused on Ash and co. Spring Break is coming up, so I'm hoping to keep this streak going and get out another chapter before it's over.**

 **Notes:**

 **1\. A majority of these jobs are mentioned in _The Ultimate Test_ , aside from model, which – as mentioned – is revealed in _Spring Fever_ and ninja which is in _From Cradle to Save_.**

 **2\. This is actually a thing that some cities do for really large parks, according to my older brother.**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	20. Chapter 20: Shifting Tides

**Review Responses:**

 ** _The Sinful_** **(Answered via PM): In order.**

 **1\. LOL, if he did, it would be because of where he was raised.**

 **2\. Also, yeah. In their mind, showing who's in charge keeps Pokémon from rebelling. Bear in mind that, aside from abandoning the "weaklings", Damian didn't actively abuse his Pokémon until Charmander left. Not that it makes it acceptable – and yes, that mistreatment is just as likely to make them run away – but it helps to understand the mindset.**

 **Besides, most times, the abuser has safeguards in place to prevent their victims from telling anybody, in this case the language barrier. If he hadn't been unconscious, he could've just lied about the cause (a rough battle, not enough money for food, etc.) and the one that tried to get help would be punished.**

 **Ordinary people are disgusted because of its cruelty and even Team Rocket looks down on it because it's "damaging merchandise".**

 **3\. Also, while Paul might be stubborn to a fault, he's nowhere near as bad as Damian. He has very high expectations, but his Pokémon are never punished beyond verbal disapproval or release if they fail to reach them. Granted, there is verbal abuse as well, but even he has to know that punishments like Damian's would be counterproductive. Again, not that it makes his treatment of Pokémon like Chimchar all right, but all things considered, he could've been far worse.**

 ** _Snoozing Lurker_** **: I did have my suspicions that it was you, but I didn't want to make any assumptions.**

 **Are there any stories that _don't_ stick to the type chart when writing Pokémon battles? I'm legitimately curious.**

 **I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter, and yes, a Machoke helping with human tasks is something that should be expected. Heck, a Machop alone could probably still lift more than your average human.**

 ** _TheShadowOfZama_** **(Answered via PM): In order.**

 **1\. James _knew_ that nobody would believe Damian, even if he told somebody, which is why he felt safe enough to turn him into the police. The fact that Noah's description of him flew right over Jenny's head was just a bonus.**

 **2\. Well, evidently Mitchell's self-preservation overpowered his greed, which is more than what can be said for most characters of his disposition.**

 **3\. Well, the whole thing _was_ basically one big test by Petrel under Giovanni's orders. Ordinarily, he runs the tournaments himself under different disguises and sends one of his "bodyguards" to go fetch potential recruits and rob others of any rare Pokémon they might have. Squad 13 just so happened to ace it.**

 **4\. We'll see what happens to Damian from here, as well as what Team Rocket will do with their new recruits and Pokémon.**

 ** _The King of Ranting_** **: We'll see.**

 ** _BrightNova169_** **(answered via PM): In order.**

 **1\. Indeed. Just because James will occasionally help someone doesn't mean that he's going to renounce his evil ways. Quite the opposite, as helping others can line up with his goals and those of Team Rocket.**

 **2\. I'm glad you like Petrel's character, and Ash might grow more paranoid if he ever finds out how effectively the man can conceal himself.**

 **3\. Yeah, since the competent boost was retroactive (i.e. Meowth's friendship with Persian, James knowing his stuff from his childhood tutors, etc.) Jessie has at least passable knowledge in every job she's done. Ballet and ninja arts are two of her best ones since the former was her first pursued dream and the latter was to prove a point to her sensei.**

 **4\. Team Rocket isn't a virtuous organization, but it gives rejects of society a chance to prove themselves and earn their keep. As James said, they _do_ teach people the skills to get jobs that'll provide the organization with information that they hear from various standpoints (waiters, cashiers, a couple of scientists, Trainers, college students, etc). Either that, or they become soldiers in Team Rocket's operations, essentially living off of Team Rocket's financial support.**

 **Also, Giovanni's plans for the changes to the world's education to stamp out discrimination are quite real. After all, discrimination gave _him_ a large part of his forces. If his new world discriminated against others that didn't deserve it, who's to say that another wouldn't take advantage of it?**

 **All in all, James may be painting Team Rocket a little positively, but not once did he tell a single lie.**

 **5\. We'll see if there are any changes to how James deals with his parents and you-know-who. But, one thing's for sure, Ash and co. will stumble across that. They're walking down the same path, just doing it a different way (The Stations of Canon #tvtropes).**

 **6\. Indeed, that particular episode _is_ coming soon. Very soon. We'll see what happens.**

 **7\. I'm glad you liked Mitchell and Dugtrio's interactions. I tried to portray it as a "partners in crime" feel.**

 **8\. Yeah, the episode _Island of the Giant Pokémon_ showed that Pokémon can interact with each other and that their Pokémon Speak is universal in that they can talk to each other.**

 **Now, on with the story!**

 **EDIT NOTICE: I changed something near the end in light of a reviewer, Bored321, pointing out an inconsistency with recent events.**

* * *

Chapter 20: Shifting Tides

Team Rocket floated in their hot air balloon as the sun was well over the horizon by now, each of them with a bowl of instant noodles prepared right in the balloon with an electric hotplate rigged to a car battery to boil the water.

Jessie had already retold what happened during her match against Cortez, impressing James and Meowth with her underhanded tactics and receiving congratulations for Ekans evolving into Arbok. When she explained what happened afterward, the trio had shared a hearty laugh over the tale of her beating Cortez up for trying to mug her.

They didn't know all the details of her travels, but they knew that Jessie wasn't one to be trifled with. It honestly wasn't that big a surprise that it ended badly for Cortez. The fact that she robbed him of his weapon afterwards was just icing on the cake.

After that, James had related his own unique experiences, getting some laughs of his own at the irony of a criminal turning somebody into the police. When he talked about his winnings from making bets on the side, he handed his teammates their portion, each of them receiving a stack of three thousand dollars. With Jessie's prize money also divided equally, each of them had earned $4,666. Jessie and James split the remaining two dollars between them since they were the ones that earned the money that night.

Meowth had put down his bowl and taken out a calculator, "Well, last night certainly put us back in da black. We even made a bit o' profit from havin' ta replace our wrecked supplies."

"We still have our dues to Team Rocket charged directly from our successful captures?" James asked before taking another slurp of his noodles. **(1)**

"A-yup," the feline Pokémon replied gleefully, taking a sip of his broth while storing the calculator before taking out a notepad the squad used to keep track of their successful missions and estimated profit to the organization. Like the other things, it'd been lost when Squirtle ruined their supplies, but James had helped him refill it with the accounting information from memory. The blue-haired teen had quite the mind for numbers, so Meowth trusted that the information was accurate.

Penciling in James's captures, the nine ready-to-use, and subtracting the estimations of nurturing Damian's Pokémon back to health before adding their own worth as assets, Meowth nodded, "Stopped missions aside, our successes should still have us good for another few months."

Jessie giggled gleefully as she set her bowl aside for reuse later, "Which means all the money from last night is ours."

James looked around, seeing that there was still only ocean as far as the eye could see, "Seems we won't be making an appearance on Porta Vista until later, though. It took us the better part of a day to get to Gringey City from the island."

"Eh," Meowth dismissed, "worst-case scenario: We track da lead twoip by movin' on ta da next closest Gym. Speakin' of, where is it now?"

Jessie took out a map of Kanto that they had bought at Vermilion City and spotted a city circled in red since they'd looked over it last.

"Saffron City," she identified with a smirk. "Perfect. It's all but totally controlled by Team Rocket."

"Isn't that where Silph Co.'s set up?" James asked, knowing a fair bit about the company from his childhood tutors.

Meowth chuckled and pointed at his charm, "Silph Co. runs Saffron, and da Boss controls Silph Co. It's all about da money ta the right people."

James rolled his eyes with a derisive snort, "Of course, how could I forget?"

* * *

Delia and Professor Oak were both back in their day-to-day clothes (which included a lab coat for the latter) and on a boat to head back to Pallet Town, Delia trying not to worry about Ash.

The professor noticed and asked, "Delia, is everything okay?"

She sighed and answered, "I'm just worried about my Ash. I gave him a Pokégear to call me, but now I'm afraid that one day he might not be able to—that something terrible might happen to him."

"Now, now, Ash has grown into a fine young Trainer," Oak reassured. "His Pokémon clearly care for him as he cares for them, and they'll protect him."

Delia thought about the fierce battle she'd seen between her son's Pokémon and Team Rocket's and sighed again, "I hope you're right, professor."

There was another lull of silence until a ringing sounded from Professor Oak. With a curious expression, the man reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out a Pokégear of his own. It was an older model than Ash's, looking less sturdy and being silver in color rather than black. The ID indicated the only number he had on his contacts, his lab's.

"If you'll excuse me," he requested. "I need to take this."

Walking a few steps away, he hit the green button to answer and held the device to his ear by the handle, "Yes? Is there a problem at the lab? …Yes, I remember." He blinked, "I beg your pardon?"

There was a moment of silence as the person on the other end apparently explained, and Professor Oak didn't react except to say, "I see. Very well, send Seaking to me. **(2)** I'll be right over."

He hung up and put both hands in his pockets, putting away the Pokégear and taking out a Pokédex. Once it was open, a Poké Ball materialized over it.

"Sorry to leave, but an urgent situation's come up," he explained to Delia, walking back to the railing of the boat.

Throwing the Poké Ball out, it released its energy into the water, which took the form of a large red, black and white fish with a horn on their forehead, speckled fins and two tailfins. One of his Pokémon that he'd kept from his time as a Trainer. They were much larger than an average Seaking from age, easily able to carry an adult like Professor Oak.

"Hello, old friend," he greeted while catching the returning Poké Ball. "Sorry that this isn't for a visit. I need your help. I'll explain on the way."

With that, he climbed over the rail – carefully, as he wasn't as fit as in his youth – and dropped down, seemingly uncaring that his outfit would get soaked. Seaking lined up one of his two speckled tailfins and caught the professor before guiding him onto his back, planting him between his rear and his dorsal fin, allowing Oak to grab onto his sides before the Goldfish Pokémon sped off.

* * *

Two days passed since Ash spent his day off with his mom. From then on, it was primarily training while also occasionally challenging a local or another tourist to a battle. During those two days, since they were staying in a single place instead of traveling, Ash had cycled through his Pokémon to ensure everybody got a little bit of time to train with him personally.

Pikachu worked on perfecting his Slam attack, as well as going to Pidgeot for tips on how to use Double Team. He still had trouble getting the illusory move down. The Bird Pokémon revealed that the speed to leave a precise after image was very finicky to pull off. Pikachu still practiced, but his copies usually blinked out from either too much speed or not enough speed.

Rattata spent most of her time trying to develop her Hyper Fang into the more powerful Super Fang, but wasn't making much progress yet. Because of that, when Charmander came to her asking for help to learn Dig so he could get the drop on opponents, she decided to help him out instead for a brief time while she tried to clear out her block.

Butterfree didn't have much to work with, though he could apparently learn a move named Confusion that involved psychic powers. But both Trainer and Pokémon looked at each other, puzzled at how to train to learn such a move. He guessed that there was some natural talent for things like that and decided to save it for later to see whether or not Butterfree could use it.

Still, Butterfree worked on perfecting his other moves' accuracy, namely the Powder Cyclones and Powder Gales as well as plainly dropping the various powders from above at a faster pace. He'd also managed to find a way to use his String Shot while using his wind attacks, so Ash dubbed those moves Silk Gale and Silk Cyclone, respectively.

Pidgeot was attempting to learn Double-Edge, but only got it to work around every other time since he started. In addition to helping out Pikachu, he also worked on perfecting his Double Team himself, so he could use it while on the move instead of needing to be still. As such, he attempted the move during complex aerial maneuvers to try integrating it into his muscle memory and make generating copies as easy as flying already came to him.

Charmander mastered Dig after about half a day of training with Rattata and moved on to other moves. He noticed how Pikachu used his tail for his Slam attack and copied it as well, managing it relatively easily with a quick spin while lashing the appendage. It didn't have as much power behind its impact, but Ash noticed that Charmander had a move called Tail Whip in his moveset on the Pokédex, so he named it that. It would still hurt, but not as much as a full-on Slam attack.

Squirtle figured out that he could shoot Bubble Beam out of the holes in his shell if he retracted his limbs and head, so he started working out how he could propel himself underwater or spin and flip his shell either on land or in the water to create a swarm of bubbles that would reduce mobility for dodging or deter enemies from approaching.

Bulbasaur's first project, Body Slam, was relatively easy to learn, so he asked Ash what he thought he should learn next. The Trainer had scrolled through his moveset and found an interesting one called Growth. The Pokédex had described it as the user gaining strength by "forcing their body to grow", so the Seed Pokémon experimented with different ways to try taking in energy to strengthen his body. While it didn't seem to be what he was looking for, he managed to find a way to heal using sunlight when he tried taking it in, his bulb glowing white as it dispersed the energy into his body. **(3)** Regardless, he continued trying to find out how to use Growth.

Kingler managed to pick up Dig relatively easily, his large claws and impressive strength easily able to push aside dirt to make holes and tunnels. It'd been one of the first things that Ash had gotten to so that Tentacool could train in the same area as them once it was filled with water. After that, Ash had been a little stuck on what to teach him since his fighting style was already fairly well covered, and he didn't seem to be ready for the later moves in his moveset, like Hyper Beam.

Tentacool had certainly been the most interesting case. It turned out that she _could_ battle on land, but only if she absorbed some water into her body before traveling on. And she had to periodically replenish said supply or she'd dry out and be generally helpless until something knocked her back into a source of water. On top of all that, while she could stand and crawl about on her two tentacles reasonably well, she couldn't manage anything faster than Ash's normal walking speed. All in all, without a teammate to constantly soak her with water, she was operating on a time limit and couldn't even battle that well on land to begin with.

So, deciding to focus on training her in water for now, Ash worked on her using her tentacles in battle. Soon after they started on the first day, they found out that Tentacool could extend her appendages relative to how much water she absorbed. When the water level in her hole drained by half a foot, she was able to extend her tentacles around twenty feet in the air while freely bending them about. **(4)**

Pidgeot had volunteered to test her ability to catch a flying opponent and quickly found out that prehensile control of nigh endlessly stretching appendages became hard to dodge when you had to keep from bumping into previous parts that you already avoided. Granted, he could've simply flown out of range until she ran out of water to absorb, but he was supposed to give the Jellyfish Pokémon a fair chance at catching him. Also, that wouldn't be an option in a place like the ocean.

Before too long, he'd been boxed in and found himself staring down the poisonous barbs at the end of Tentacool's appendages once she tightened her tentacle cage and wrapped him up. She let him go after that when Ash congratulated her and grabbed onto her Trainer before pulling _him_ into the water and running her extended tentacles all over him with glee, much to the amusement of his other Pokémon.

A drying Ash said that he was fine with hugs, but to please not pull him into the water again if he wasn't wearing a swimsuit. The Jellyfish Pokémon was rather embarrassed at having gotten carried away.

After that, on the second day, since Tentacool would be fighting almost exclusively Water Pokémon, Ash looked through her potential moves to see if she could learn one good for dealing with them. To his delight, he found out she could learn Mega Drain and asked Butterfree to help her learn it. It turned out that hers wasn't a green aura. Tentacool activated Mega Drain by touch through her tentacles, a yellow glow appearing in her eyes and on the appendages as they absorbed energy from the target. Testing out a theory of Ash's on a pair of shrubs, Tentacool found out that the more of her tentacles in contact with her opponent, the more energy drained at once. Compared to Butterfree's which was a fixed drain, it was arguably better so long as she was able to grab onto her target.

Having two days to focus on nothing but training (breaking to rest or eat notwithstanding) really worked wonders for his Pokémon's growth. And having them teach each other the moves they knew helped speed things along.

Ash was keeping Tentacool a secret from Misty since he caught her since the redhead had reacted badly the last time he mentioned Water Pokémon. Sure, it was about training them last time, but he guessed that she wouldn't like him having caught another Water Pokémon either. Ash was still trying to figure out how to break the news.

Still, Brock had said that they would need to leave for Hutber Port tomorrow if they wanted to make the boat to Maiden's Peak. Knowing that it would be the last day of serious training Ash could do before they were traveling again, he decided to bring all of his Pokémon that were trying to overcome blocks in learning new moves. With that in mind, he switched his Pokémon around to include Pikachu (of course), Pidgeot, Squirtle, Kingler, Rattata and Bulbasaur.

He had an idea for a new move for Kingler and was going to teach it to him while having him test it out on one of the trees in the forest.

* * *

Team Rocket looked around Hutber Port, having searched all day yesterday for any trace of Ash passing through while in their tourist disguises. They arrived the night before last, and deposited the money they earned yesterday morning in accounts linked to their fake identities – even Meowth had one, and simply sent "representatives" to make his deposits and withdrawals – but there were no clues.

This morning, they looked around the entrance of the city facing the island's interior and the two on each side along the edge of Porta Vista, but saw no sign of Ash coming in.

"I don't get it," Jessie grumbled. "If he wants to get to the other side of Kanto, he'll _have_ to take a boat from here."

James was perusing his new set of Pokémon Flash Cards. He had bought one deck that had all the Pokémon and one that had all of the catalogued moves in Kanto. While sifting through the Pokémon deck, he answered, "Maybe he wanted a break and is still in Acapulco." He came to Gyarados's card and said, "Ooh… I think I'll be training Gyarados tonight to see if he can learn this 'Hydro Pump' move. It sounds powerful."

Then his eyes glanced over the sea monster's type and he raised an eyebrow, "Hello…"

"Ya mean we wasted a whole day lookin' for nothin' when we coulda been at least spyin' ta see what he was doin'?" Meowth muttered in frustration on all fours, still trying to pretend being a pet.

"Not for nothing," James pointed out. "I got this _very informative_ deck of cards. You two go on ahead, I'll meet you back at camp in a couple of days. Also, Ash is likely to come through here eventually if he wants to move forward, so just stay around here. Send Fearow to find me if you need me. I've got training to do." With that said, he walked off to leave the city towards the center of the island.

Jessie rolled her eyes once he was gone and said, "Great. Now what do we do?"

Meowth let his eyes wander before he saw some paper flapping on a bulletin board nearby, "We could check if there's any way ta make quick money in dis town."

The girl looked down at him before spotting the bulletin board and deciding that it couldn't hurt. At that point, though, Meowth realized something.

"Wait, without James, who's gonna cook back at camp?" the feline agent wondered.

Jessie looked down at him as they approached the board, " _I_ could cook something."

Deciding that respectful silence wasn't going to get him out of anything this time, Meowth replied, "Thanks, but da last time _you_ cooked, ya wiped out eight of my nine lives… Let's buy somethin' at a restaurant. We just got paid."

Scowling at the remark, but not striking Meowth, Jessie just decided to concentrate on the different papers posted. Her eyes drifted to one with a Tentacool under a red circle with a line over it, and her eyes widened once she saw the reward offered.

"Forget the twerp," Jessie abruptly said as she tore down the paper to get a closer look. "Let's get back to camp. We have work to do."

* * *

"All right, are you _sure_ about this, Onix?"

The Rock Snake Pokémon nodded seriously again and Brock looked down at the bucket of river water in his hands before asking, "Can't we start with something smaller? I wouldn't want to hurt you."

Onix shook his head and the breeder sighed. It had been Onix's idea to try conditioning his body to resist water, and Brock couldn't deny giving it a try. With James always having the Zap Sapper on hand, they both knew Onix was the next best bet to take on Gyarados. He couldn't do that if a splash of water was all it took to take him down, especially if the Atrocious Pokémon learned Hydro Pump.

"Can you at least use Harden for the first try?" Brock requested. That had been the first move that he'd taught his two Rock Pokémon.

The large Pokémon sighed and did so, a silver glow covering his body before it dispersed into a slight sheen, locking up his movement, but raising his defenses.

With a deep breath, Brock swung the bucket back and splashed it as high up as he could along Onix's front. The Rock Snake Pokémon visibly shuddered, but powered through the chilling effect by reminding himself that if he couldn't stand up to a bucket of water, then he would never get the best of Gyarados.

Brock was worried about Onix, but forced himself not to immediately get out his medicine to treat his first Pokémon.

The breeder had spent the past two days training his Pokémon one at a time after the first time, since he didn't feel he got a lot out of one hour with all of them moving about at once. It may be less efficient, but one at a time ensured that he got the most out of whatever timeframe he trained them for. Plus, by the time he cycled through his two other Pokémon the first was usually ready to go for another hour.

Occasionally, he had his Pokémon spar with each other, though Onix was usually the winner through sheer size and strength. Mostly, the Rock Snake Pokémon just let his teammates test any new moves they could come up with against him.

One benefit, though, was that he felt he'd learned more about his Pokémon from how they battled.

Zubat was a rather clever fighter, using his small size and speed to flit around and confuse the opponent, even though it did him little good against Geodude and Onix, who were resistant to most of his attacks. But, by extension, it was also really hard for either Rock Pokémon to land a hit on him. Brock had taught him Wing Attack for some offensive power, and Confuse Ray since it was more likely to hit than Supersonic. Anybody who looked Zubat in his glowing "eyes" (actually his inner ears) would become confused. For today's session, Brock planned to teach Zubat Screech since it would disrupt opponents en masse with the volume, allowing other Pokémon – either his or his friends' – to strike while they were disoriented.

Geodude took a more direct approach, but had his moments of strategy as well. After Harden, Brock had tried to teach him to fire rocks formed with Rock Throw by using Mega Punch for higher speed. The first couple broke, but Geodude concentrated with his hand on the ground for a moment before uprooting a denser rock and managing to fire it how Brock instructed. The breeder had named the move Rock Shot. The Rock Pokémon also seemed to be trying to figure out a rolling Tackle attack in order to fix his lack of speed. **(5)**

Onix was certainly the strongest, by virtue of his high defenses and size. His surprising speed for a Pokémon so large didn't hurt either. Mostly, he would throw his weight around, counting on his body's natural toughness to weather any attack while his momentum took care of the rest during his heavy swings and charges. As such, he prided himself on powering through moves on sheer determination, which is why he was happy to learn Harden to help deal with James' Mankey. Once that was done, though, he wanted to start building up a resistance to water.

Brock watched as Onix quickly regained his bearings and moved his tail to brush off the excess water with a rumbling growl. He let out a sigh of relief before taking out a towel and a Potion to treat the areas where he'd been splashed. Water had a slight eroding effect on Rock Pokémon, so it was best to dry and treat the afflicted areas with medicine so that the rocky outer skin could heal faster.

"Okay, it seems you can resist water in small quantities, but still get pretty weakened," he noted. "I guess you'll want to try something with more, then?"

Onix nodded, wanting to make the most of his training time.

"All right, we'll head to the shore, and you can… sit in the sand letting the waves wash over your underside, I guess," Brock decided. "But I'm calling you back if it starts looking bad."

The giant Pokémon nodded again at that compromise, having expected another bucket and happy that his Trainer was letting him try something a bit harder.

A distant slamming sound, however, caught both of their attention. At first they wondered if they imagined it, but they heard it again, and Onix pulled up to his full height, seeing a tree shaking in time with another impact.

"It sounds like it's coming from further back to the shore," Brock realized. "Let's go see."

* * *

"There's something we're doing wrong," Ash muttered as Kingler wound down from another strike at the tree in front of him. It had several cracks in it from the beating it had taken, but still stood strong.

Today, Ash was personally instructing Kingler since he was learning something new and the rest were working on moves from yesterday. He'd already given what information he could to Rattata after researching Super Fang last night. It also had the nickname "Fang of Hatred" for its ability to pierce even the strongest defenses, so Ash speculated that maybe it had something to do with anger. **(6)**

Rattata had gone to train with the others while thinking on that, leaving Ash to start instructing Kingler in combining Strength with Crabhammer. Still, while a powerful hit, it didn't seem to get the results that Ash expected.

Crossing his arms, the Pallet Trainer thought about what he knew of Strength, 'Strength is a move that gives more power to Kingler's lifting and attacks. So it should be able to power up other moves, but putting it into his Crabhammer doesn't seem to be working… Wait. Lifting isn't done with the hands, it's done with-'

His eyes snapped open and he smiled, "I got it! Kingler, use Crabhammer with Strength again, but this time, power up your entire arm."

Kingler's eyes lit up as he nodded and snapped his larger pincer shut in preparation for Crabhammer. As he did so, the aura of Strength appeared around him before moving along his body into his arm, glowing slightly brighter. The Pincer Pokémon wound up for the blow and struck.

A mighty boom and the sound of splitting wood blasted through the clearing, getting all attention on the tree that had a huge chunk knocked out of its side. With a groan and snap, the tree listed to the side and fell with a crash.

Ash stared at the results before jumping in the air in celebration, "All right! You did it, Kingler!"

"Kuki!" the large crab rasped in celebration. His teammates also gathered around to congratulate him.

Meanwhile, Ash sat down cross-legged on the ground, "We need a name for the move, though. 'Crabhammer and Strength' is too much of a mouthful to be useful in battle. Hmm… Crabslammer? Nah, that's stupid…" He dragged a hand down his face before he looked at the crown of spikes on Kingler's head. Inspiration struck a mere moment later.

"I got it!" he proclaimed while hitting a fist into his other hand. "King Crabhammer!" He crossed his arms while nodding confidently, "That sounds awesome!" Kingler rasped in agreement, snapping his large pincer happily as Pikachu, Rattata and Squirtle laughed along. Pidgeot and Bulbasaur quietly watched their teammates and Trainer with a smile.

"I'll say," a familiar voice laughed. "I guess naming attacks does take careful consideration."

Ash jumped to his feet in surprise and all of his Pokémon turned to regard the intruder. They all relaxed when they saw Brock approaching with Onix behind him. Oddly enough, the breeder had an empty bucket in his hand.

The Pallet Trainer sighed in relief, "It's just you… For a second I thought Team Rocket was here." Then he blinked, "Wait, what _are_ you doing here? I mean, not that I'm not happy to see you, but…" Ash simply gestured to Brock and his Pokémon, waiting for a response.

Brock smiled and replied, "Just a bit of training. Anyway, I came when I heard the loud noises."

Ash chuckled nervously when the breeder indicated the fallen tree.

"Testing a new move," he explained. "Kingler finally got it down, but it'd taken a heavy beating already. His completed version blew out a chunk of the tree."

"I saw that much, Crabhammer with Strength—good combination."

Ash casually swung his hands back and forth while looking around, feeling a little awkward talking with Brock in this setting since he'd never seen the breeder train before.

"So… You're here, and we're both training. Wanna train together?" he asked.

Brock smiled, "Sounds nice. Do you mind if we move a little closer to the shore? Onix is going to be training on the beach, and I'd like to keep an eye on him."

"Sure." Ash signaled his Pokémon, and they all walked with him – except for Pidgeot, who glided overhead – and Brock followed alongside with Onix.

"Does your Kingler know Harden?" Brock asked.

Ash shook his head, "Not yet, I don't think."

"Geodude can teach him, but could he teach Strength to him in return?"

The Pallet Trainer smiled, "Sure! Thanks."

* * *

Misty wandered around town, looking for Ash since she hadn't seen much of him for the past couple of days. Brock appeared rather regularly and explained that he was doing a little training when he disappeared. Ash never came back until dinner at the hotel.

At first she'd enjoyed the break from Ash, but after the second day in a row it started looking suspicious, so she'd asked what he was doing all day. He explained that he was training too, but seemed a little bit nervous, as if he was hiding something. So, Misty had decided to look for him to find where he was training and what he was hiding.

She'd already checked the beach by Acapulco and the town itself to see if Ash was in a battle with another Trainer, but came up with nothing. Then she remembered the forest by the shore outside the town.

'It's the only other good spot close to here, and I don't think he'd go far,' she decided. 'Time to find out what Ash has been up to.'

* * *

Ash and Brock supervised their Pokémon training together, all three of Brock's Pokémon out now. The Pallet Trainer had managed to convince his friend that Zubat, Geodude and Onix would let him know if they were tired out, because they knew he wouldn't want them getting too injured.

Brock was still slightly anxious, but Ash reminded him that humans get sore from working out too, and with Pokémon being much tougher, sometimes getting hurt would make them stronger for it, so long as it didn't go too far.

At that, Brock agreed after a bit of thought, but still kept a close eye on the training happening all around him.

Onix was sitting on the shore with the shallow waves washing over his underside, shuddering but managing better each time Brock came forward to dry and treat him.

Rattata hadn't made much headway on her own move, trying to get really angry at some trees and rocks, but the move didn't feel much different than her own Hyper Fang. It cracked whatever she used it on, but didn't display anything better than that. Still, from the repeated practice, her current move got stronger as her jaw muscles and large front teeth toughened up, so it wasn't completely without results.

Zubat was thrilled to have another Flying Pokémon to really test his skills, though he was far behind Pidgeot in terms of strength and speed. The Bird Pokémon went easy on his smaller opponent, but also put his endurance to the test, flying fast enough for Zubat to barely dodge each Wing Attack.

Pikachu finally managed a Double Team, but his clones still flickered in and out. Still, it was progress, and he continued working to perfect it.

Squirtle managed to find at least a partial success to his Bubble Storm on land by standing on his hands before retracting all but his arms and starting a Rapid Spin by propelling with his hands before retracting them and spinning on the top of his shell by momentum. From there, he released Bubble Beam from all of the holes except his head and managed a fairly wide spread. It still had gaps, but the move was mainly for use in water anyway.

Kingler and Geodude were also paired up, taking turns teaching each other their moves. Kingler had picked up Harden fairly easily once Geodude explained it to him. It was similar to Strength, except imbuing the energy into his shell instead of his muscles.

Once he learned enough of Harden to master it on his own, he got to teaching Geodude how to use Strength.

"[How can I describe it…]" Kingler mused. "[You know how you told me that Harden is about channeling energy into your skin to raise your defenses? Strength goes deeper than that. Like, it's there, but… you have to drag it out, usually kicking and screaming the first time. I think I learned it at the same time that I evolved, through necessity.]"

"[Necessity?]"

"[Yeah, to save the Pokémon, both for their and Ash's sake,]" the Pincer Pokémon added. "[Do you need to get stronger?]"

Geodude nodded, "[I do.]"

"[Then it should be inside of you too,]" Kingler replied while pointing to Geodude. "[Find it, and use it. From there, you can master it.]"

Unknown to the two Pokémon, Bulbasaur had overheard their conversation and walked with renewed determination and inspiration for learning his own move.

'Power from within,' the Seed Pokémon thought to himself. From then on, he stopped trying to draw energy from outside and focused on himself with some meditation.

Unfortunately, he didn't get the chance to concentrate for long when a shout interrupted the training session.

"Hey!"

The Pokémon all stopped out of curiosity, turning to face Misty, who stormed across the shore up to Brock.

"Now I get it!" she shouted while pointing up to his face. "You've been training Ash all this time behind my back! How else could he have gotten strong enough to beat Surge?"

"Misty, that doesn't even make any sense," Brock replied while gently pushing her finger down. "Ash always trained right in front of us until now, and in this case, it's more like he's helping _me_ train."

She looked to Ash, who shrugged as if it was no big deal, and felt her ire rise. He couldn't have gotten so strong that Brock, another experienced Gym Leader, went to him for advice.

Pushing the breeder aside, she walked right up to Ash and made a decision to prove who the superior Trainer was.

"Ash, battle me."

The Pallet Trainer blinked in surprise.

"Two-on-two, only Water Pokémon," she outlined.

Brock held up a hand, "Misty-"

The Cerulean Leader rounded on him, "Butt out!" She glanced back at Ash, "He's going to battle me, unless he's too _scared_."

Ash didn't visibly react outward at first, but Brock pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing that the situation was rapidly going out of his hands now.

'I should have noticed this earlier and prevented it,' the breeder thought. 'This can't end well, no matter who wins.'

Slowly, a scowl developed on Ash's face, "Fine. Let's battle." He took out his Pokédex with a rather unfriendly smile, "But let's make it three-on-three, so I can show you my _new_ Water Pokémon, too."

Misty's eyes widened as Ash returned Rattata and clicked the button to switch her out with another. She hadn't known that he'd caught another Water Pokémon.

The Trainer rolled his eyes as a new Poké Ball materialized out of the screen, "Come on, it wasn't _that_ hard to figure out you didn't like me catching more Water Pokémon. I was trying to figure out a way to break the news, but since you want a battle, I figure now's as good a time as any."

The redhead glared fiercely, and Brock realized the situation had gotten far worse if Ash was taking shots at Misty back. But he realized it wasn't the first time as he recalled Ash's retort at Vermilion Gym.

Regardless, he knew he had to step in or witness the end of whatever level of friendship Ash and Misty had.

Brock moved forward, ready to break up the fight, "Okay, that's enou-"

"No," Ash interrupted. "If I back down, she'll hold it over my head forever. Besides, I'm not scared of her _at all_." He intentionally emphasized the last two words, aggravating Misty further.

Pikachu shrunk back from the two, tail lowered as he sensed the escalating tension and anger. Internally, he was glad that it was Water Pokémon only. It meant that he wouldn't have to battle and could stay neutral. He would've battled for Ash if he had to, though. His Trainer had saved him time and time again, so Pikachu would support him even if he didn't like the idea of battling Misty.

He also decided to just keep silent for the whole battle since anything he said might be misunderstood and he didn't want to be put on the spotlight.

"All right, three-on-three it is," Misty agreed. "Let's see if you can win without any of those dirty tricks you used last time."

Here, Ash scowled again, "'Dirty tricks'?! I fight all of _my_ Pokémon battles _fair_ and _square_! How is using the wind any different from how _you_ use the water?"

Misty crossed her arms, "They're Water Pokémon, they're meant to swim in the water!"

"Well Flying-types have a right to the air and wind attacks, then!" he countered while leaning forward until Misty extended her hand and flicked him across the nose. **(7)** Ash was stunned for a brief moment before he was visibly fuming with gritted teeth bared.

Misty gave a superior smirk back, "Why don't you prove how tough you are without them?"

"Hey, how about we rent some boats in town, for your battle?" Brock suggested while returning his Pokémon, trying a different angle to distract them. 'And give you two a chance to cool off so I can stop this before one of you says something that can't be taken back.'

"No need," the Pallet Trainer shortly replied while ignoring the slight discomfort in his nose. He pointed at a pair of trees at the edge of the forest, "Bulbasaur, cut down those two trees with Razor Leaf, about halfway to the top."

Bulbasaur did so, wearing down the bark at the sides before grabbing one trunk each with his vines and pulling until the thinned section snapped, letting the branched top halves fall down.

At Ash's instruction, the Seed Pokémon then carved off the branches and narrowed the other end as well, making one side of each trunk flat before hollowing out the insides. The end result had two rudimentary canoe-like rafts, not looking very comfortable, but good enough to stand in. Kingler punched a hole in each one near the top by pinching with his large pincer as well to loop a rope through. Ash returned Kingler along with Squirtle, who had put away his sunglasses once he saw the battle was happening in the ocean.

The breeder let out a heavy sigh as Ash and Misty pushed the rafts into the water with Bulbasaur looping a vine through the holes Kingler made. Pidgeot stood by the Grass/Poison-type as well to stay ready to grab him if he got pulled towards the water by the current.

* * *

Ash stared across the stretch of ocean that stood between him and Misty, hat already turned back and fully determined to defeat her.

He always knew that she didn't respect him as a Trainer, but today had gone beyond putting him down. Not only had she accused him of cheating, and ignored his argument pointing out her dependence on water, but she had all but called him a coward.

He had fled one time in Viridian Forest for Pikachu's sake, but that didn't make him afraid. Every day, he kept watch for attacks from Team Rocket, and every time, he did his best to fight them off whether they were after Pikachu or another target.

She thought he was afraid to fight against her where she had the advantage? That he would back down in the face of what seemed to be impossible odds? Every time where Team Rocket was involved, he fought to beat the odds. They always picked the battlefield, always came up with a plan that he never knew anything about until it was in motion, and always pulled every trick they could to keep him away or occupied while they tried getting away with their targets.

Pokémon Tech and the St. Anne came to mind. He'd figured it out after a bit of time to think that the cage had been bait like Jessie and James stealing right in front of him. But he still felt it was the right thing to do to save the Pokémon he could. There was no guarantee that Squirtle and (at the time) Pidgeotto, the only two that could plausibly swim and fly fast enough to catch up to the lifeboats, would've been able to get the Poké Balls back from the agents.

Even in the face of a small army of Team Rocket agents and their Pokémon, he hadn't backed down and convinced the other passengers to not give in either. Ash Ketchum was _not_ a coward.

'I won't let her get away with that one,' he decided as he took out and expanded his first Poké Ball. 'I'll beat her at her own game and finally make her give me some respect.'

"Last time, I went easy on you and sent out my Pokémon first," Misty started, "but now we send them out at the same time!"

Ash snorted, 'Right, went easy.' Out loud he called back, "Fine, on three!"

"One…"

"Two…"

"Three!" both shouted as they threw out their Poké Balls.

Releasing at the same time, Squirtle emerged in the water while Staryu hovered slightly above it.

"H-yah!" the Star-Shaped Pokémon shouted with a brief spin in place. Squirtle remained silent and appeared to be analyzing his opponent as Ash had taught him.

'This one flies,' he noted. The Tiny Turtle Pokémon also noted the bright red core, 'A possible weak spot? I'll hit it as hard as I can when I get the chance—see if that does the job.'

"Staryu, open up with Swift!" Misty ordered.

Ash retorted, "Squirtle, counter with Bubble Beam!"

Both Pokémon launched their projectiles, stars and empowered bubbles bursting as both met in the middle.

Misty figured out that a direct stream wasn't getting anywhere and commanded, "Spread the attack out and aim them all at Squirtle!"

The stars started spreading out, allowing the bubbles to hit Staryu, but he wasn't overly affected, despite being pushed back slightly from the multiple small impacts. Meanwhile, his Swift attack started orbiting around and Squirtle had to abandon his attack to defend himself. He was already acting before Ash gave the command by withdrawing into his shell.

Seeing Squirtle going on the defensive, Misty said, "Keep it up, Staryu!"

"Bubble Storm!" Ash ordered.

In the water, Squirtle could spin and flip much more freely, and thus rotated at a rapid pace while releasing Bubble Beam from the holes for his limbs and head in all directions from the spinning. The swarm of water projectiles guarded against the surrounding Swift stars before any got close since the area near Squirtle was the densest and even continued on towards Staryu.

Eyes widening, Misty urged, "Staryu, go up!"

Ash watched the Star-Shaped Pokémon fly back until the bubbles had drifted so far apart from the distance that he could easily dodge them. He ordered Squirtle to stop, then, since it was wasting energy.

He tsked as Staryu started taking shots with Swift again from a longer distance, leading to Squirtle needing to shoot them down with precise Water Guns. Misty was going to just keep sniping from a distance until Staryu got a hit. Conveniently ignoring her earlier claims of having the advantage in the water, he noted.

He sarcastically pointed out, "Gee, for a _water_ specialist, you're sure having Staryu stay in the air a lot. Afraid that your Pokémon can't stand up to mine in your own arena?"

"You're not going to bait me into a trap, Ash," Misty replied, though she was visibly straining to keep herself in check.

Ash continued as Misty glared at him, "You call _me_ a cheater for using Flying Pokémon against your Water-types, and then you have Staryu always stay above Squirtle, not even having it enter the water _once_?"

"It's strategy!" Misty defended. "Staryu can fly, Squirtle can't, meaning that it's the smart move to stay out of his reach!"

Ash and Squirtle glanced at each other before the Trainer stuck his hands in his pocket and tilted his head back. Following the signal, his Pokémon swam back and hopped into Ash's boat.

"I'm done here," the black-haired boy announced, twisting his hat forward again.

Misty stared in utter disbelief for a moment before shouting, "Where do you think you're going?! This battle isn't over!"

"This battle is just one huge _waste_ of my time," he decided while bending down to tug twice on Bulbasaur's vine to be pulled in. "Time I can be using to train."

Misty stumbled as both boats started getting pulled in, but she regained her bearings and said, "Oh, I see. A battle not going your way and you just _quit_ before you can lose."

"Better to quit than to just rig the battle so I can win, and then copy my opponent's old strategies, like you do," Ash retorted.

"Wha-" the redhead sputtered in outrage. "I did _not_ copy your strategy. It's not even _your_ strategy, it's a common one!"

He waved his hand and Bulbasaur stopped pulling them in. Ash then turned his head to her, "I accepted your battle so I could finally get some respect, but I don't see that happening, even if I win. You'll just say I 'cheated', or 'got lucky', or 'the sun was in your eyes', or some other excuse."

He faced back towards the shore, "Point is, I don't need to battle you to know I'm stronger than you. And I'm not going to lose just so you can feel better about _yourself_ when you don't even deserve a victory with that kind of attitude. I've put up with it since Viridian City, but this is too much. You're not worth my time."

* * *

Brock dared to hope when Squirtle was called back to Ash's boat and Bulbasaur got a signal from one of his vines, pulling them in afterward.

'All right, they're coming in,' the breeder reassured himself while mentally putting together how he would sort this out. 'I can trust Ash to be blowing off steam with training for the next hour or so, and he'll want to be alone with his Pokémon, plenty of time to bring Misty around and then work with Ash on forgiving her. We can make it through this with everything intact.'

That hope faltered when Ash waved and Bulbasaur stopped pulling them in when they were still on the water, but closer to shore. It fell apart altogether when he heard a piercing shout.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M NOT WORTH YOUR TIME?!"

* * *

"I just told you," Ash retorted. "You're a really poor listener, you know that?"

Misty growled and pointed at him from her boat, Staryu still flying overhead, "Alright, you listen here! I'm a Cerulean City Gym Leader! I've been a Pokémon Trainer for two years, and I learned how to battle at the Gym!"

"Which makes you less effective on land since you didn't battle on it all too often, I'd bet," the Pallet Trainer noted, making sure she could hear him.

"Shut up! We are finishing this – right here, right now – if I have to swim over there and _tie_ you to that lousy boat! There is no way you could've gotten stronger than me in two-and-a-half months!"

Ash leveled a very, very flat look at her before sighing in resignation, "All right, you've convinced me to prove it to you. Let's restart this battle." He held up one finger towards her while still facing the shore, "I'll win it with _one Pokémon_."

"One Pokémon?" Misty repeated incredulously. "You're joking."

"I'm dead serious," Ash replied, turning in the boat to fully face her. "I was going to go along with the battle, but if it won't change anything anyway, why should I? I'll even let you use all three of yours at once. It'll save me some time."

As the Cerulean Leader balked at that statement, Ash turned to Squirtle still in the boat, "You wanna watch or just wait this out in your Poké Ball?"

Squirtle had a good idea of what his Trainer was going to do and knew it wouldn't be pretty, but stayed out anyway. Though, since his part in the battle was over, he took out his sunglasses and put them back on.

"All three… at once?!" Misty finally repeated. She took out her two Poké Balls, "I'll save you some time!"

Ash took out his own Poké Ball and opened it first. The materialized Pokémon stayed in the water before forming into Tentacool. She'd heard about the gravity of this battle from inside her Poké Ball and, while she was surprised that he'd picked her at the time he'd grabbed her Poké Ball, the Jellyfish Pokémon resolved upon release to live up to his faith in her.

Misty, meanwhile, felt envy stir deep inside her as she saw Ash having not just caught another Water Pokémon, but one of her favorites, too. Regardless, she threw her two Poké Balls out, releasing Goldeen into the water and Starmie into the air alongside Staryu.

Tentacool immediately figured out what Ash wanted from observing the line-up in front of her and already got to work while Misty talked. Of course, being in the ocean, her actions largely went unnoticed due to the sheer volume of the water and its murkiness hiding what happened below.

"Well, Ash, looks like overconfidence is going to make you lose today," Misty smugly noted. "Tentacool are certainly good Pokémon, very cute. But even one of those doesn't stand a chance in a three-on-one battle."

"So you're ready to battle?" Ash asked with a raised eyebrow. "Just checking so that there's no question about it."

The redhead shook her head with a roll of her eyes, "I'm ready to _win_."

"Noted," the Pallet Trainer replied with a nod. "Wrap."

Goldeen immediately got pulled under as an appendage suddenly appeared from the water and looped around her tail.

"What?!" Misty shouted in confusion. But the answer to her unspoken question came in the form of two extremely long tentacles, around thirty feet each, surfacing while dripping seawater. Goldeen was wrapped head to tail in a length of one appendage, and both were still growing as they circled around Staryu and Starmie levitating in the air.

Seeing it for what it was, Misty frantically ordered, "Staryu, Starmie, get out of there!"

"Too late," Ash said as Tentacool tightened the net she'd made of her tentacles and bound all three of her opponents together, suspended quite a distance from the water. "'Water Pokémon always have the advantage in the water.' Mega Drain."

Misty could only watch helplessly as yellow energy drained from all three of her bound Pokémon down the tentacles and back to Tentacool. Since the Jellyfish Pokémon didn't have any injuries, the drained energy emanated from her body into the air.

"Staryu, Starmie! Swift! Spin around! Do _something,_ just get out of there!" the redhead pled.

Tentacool did feel the impacts on the parts of her appendages wrapped over the two star-like Pokémon's cores, but any damage they did immediately got healed off. And they were so tangled up that they couldn't get any momentum to spin their bodies.

Soon, she felt the energy she was draining begin to run dry, so she stopped and pulled them closer to look at their state. The instant she did, a Water Gun hit her in the face, but had no effect aside from a light bruise to her body from the impact itself.

Peeking around her appendages, she saw that Goldeen and Staryu were out, the latter's core blinking, while Starmie was still conscious. Shifting the net holding them around, Tentacool separated the two unconscious Pokémon and dropped them into Misty's boat while resuming Mega Drain on the fully evolved one.

Misty could only stare at Goldeen and Staryu, unable to give orders in her state.

Even so, while Starmie was less covered than before, she shot some Swift stars from her exposed gem that moved towards Tentacool. They flew relatively slowly in her exhausted state, but dodged around a Water Gun, the Mysterious Pokémon controlling them even as she continued getting drained.

They hit, but the damage got healed right away, as usual.

Ash raised an eyebrow, "Your Starmie's a tough one. For a Water-type, they've got some fire in their heart." He noted Starmie's gem beginning to flicker before it became a steady blink, the Pokémon's limbs going limp.

Tentacool cut off the energy drain and lowered Starmie into the boat atop her teammates, Misty having fallen to her knees in shock.

"There," Ash decidedly said, though he didn't seem very happy about his victory. "That enough proof for you? Good."

He tugged on Bulbasaur's vine again, and both boats were pulled in once again, Tentacool following Ash's. While the Trainer was stooped down, Squirtle put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring nod. He felt another wet appendage on his opposite shoulder and found it to be Tentacool, still swimming alongside them. She beamed at Ash and he tentatively smiled back.

As he'd suspected, Ash didn't really get much satisfaction out of beating Misty. It was just something that had to be done, even if he didn't like it. From what he could tell, they still accepted him.

His boat pulled onto the sand and wasn't surprised when he saw Brock waiting where Misty's would be moored. Ash was also surprised that he wasn't surprised to see Pikachu over there too. The redhead didn't respond to anything Brock had said and simply stood up before returning her Pokémon and walking off. She ran when the breeder tried to follow her. Ash noticed that Pikachu was visibly holding himself back from following, his fists clenched.

Bulbasaur, sensing Ash's worry about Pikachu got his attention with a "Saur."

When the Trainer glanced at him, Bulbasaur concentrated and became covered in a green aura before he grew to one-and-a-half times his size. He smiled up at Ash, who nodded with a smile back.

"You learned Growth during the battle? Good job," he praised.

Brock came back, "Ash, don't you think you were a little too harsh with Misty?" Pikachu was still just staring where Misty had gone.

"She was asking for it," Ash retorted. "Literally. She wanted a battle, she got one. And on some level, she deserved it."

He held up his hand when Brock took a breath to speak, " _Somebody_ had to wake her up. Since the first time at Pokémon Tech didn't seem to stick, I decided to be that person. I didn't like it, but it had to be done since she wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.

"More importantly, I'm not going to apologize if that's what you're going for," Ash stated with crossed arms. "She should've known what she was getting herself into, but blinded herself to the difference of strength between us. That's _her_ problem, not mine."

Brock sighed at seeing that he wasn't going to make any progress with Ash and turned around, "I'm going to go find her."

"Knowing her, she probably took her Pokémon to a Poké Center," the Pallet Trainer informed.

The breeder walked off, heading back to Acapulco. Pikachu turned around to go back to his team's side, but his heart didn't seem in it.

Ash let out a sigh, "Pikachu, go with Brock. I know you want to comfort Misty, but it's not safe for you to wander alone. Go." The command was for his sake too. He could practically feel that Pikachu was appalled with what he did and the Trainer couldn't take it anymore.

He could hear some shuffling sand and didn't need to look to figure that Pikachu had rushed off to catch up with Brock.

To his surprise, he felt a tiny hand against his leg and a quiet but firm, "Pi."

Ash looked down to see Pikachu looking up at him with a resolute gaze, proving that Ash had been quite mistaken in his previous guess.

Pikachu hadn't been restraining himself from leaving to follow Misty, he'd heard everything from the shore. Misty and Ash needing to call across to each other on their boats allowed him to listen in with his keen hearing. He could, without a doubt, say that Misty was not only insulting his Trainer's abilities, but completely trivializing what he and Ash went through by calling him a coward.

He hadn't been staring at her with concern. It'd been disappointment and anger. He was trying to restrain himself from zapping her since Ash had already completely destroyed her pride and that would just be kicking somebody while they were down. Ash wouldn't have approved.

He tried to convey that he was on Ash's side, and his Trainer stared back for a moment before nodding, "All right, then."

Without another word, Ash took out a Poké Ball and called Kingler back out. His Pokémon were lined up in front of him in a loose semicircle. Even Tentacool had absorbed enough water to come on land and stood on her two tentacles.

"All right, does anybody need more time to rest before we get back to training?"

He received negative headshakes from all six of them.

"Good, but let me know if you need a rest." He checked the position of the sun, heading towards the west now, but still far from the horizon, "We still have plenty of time today to get some last minute training in before we're on the road."

He addressed Bulbasaur first, "Bulbasaur, since you've learned Growth, I'm going to start you on your next move and then switch you out with Rattata. She's still struggling with Super Fang as far as we know, and I'm going to try helping her."

The Seed Pokémon nodded in return.

Ash turned to Pidgeot, "Pidgeot, do what you were doing earlier and try to master Double-Edge. I have an idea for a combination move with Double-Team."

Pidgeot nodded with a confident, "Pidg-eot."

"Pikachu, after I give Bulbasaur and Tentacool their instructions, I'm going to be working with you personally. Double Team is on hold for now since you seem to already be on the way to mastering it. It's time to get you started on learning the next strongest electric attack," Ash instructed.

"Pika-pika!" Pikachu heatedly agreed with fists held up in determination.

"Squirtle, Kingler," the Trainer started, "you two are going to be working together at first. Squirtle, I want you to get Kingler started on learning Bubble Beam for a more powerful projectile attack. After that, keep on perfecting your land version of Bubble Storm."

"Squirt!/Kuki!" both Pokémon confirmed.

"Tentacool..." He held his arms out towards the Jellyfish Pokémon, "You were amazing in battle out there. You've earned yourself a proper hug before we keep training. C'mere."

Tentacool's eyes widened in surprise and the rest of the gathered Pokémon smiled. Despite everything that had happened before, and today, their Trainer was still the same caring person as before. Pikachu was especially happy, as it reminded him of his own bond with Ash.

Seeing that she wasn't approaching Ash shrugged and stepped forward, "Guess I'll have to come to you."

He got down on one knee in front of her and wrapped his arms around the Jellyfish Pokémon, patting her on the back. She wrapped her tentacles around her Trainer in a similar manner, instead of all over him, and liked the feeling. Especially when he pet her on one of her upper gems. She gave a quiet drone of happiness.

Ash gave a soft laugh in return and patted her twice more to get her to (reluctantly) break the hug.

Once that was done, he stood up again while brushing the sand off his knee, "All right, you all have your orders." He held up a fist, "We leave for Hutber Port tomorrow, so let's make the most of the time we have left before hitting the road again!"

His Pokémon gave a brief battle cry in response and launched into their training. Bulbasaur and Tentacool stayed with Ash at first, with Pikachu waiting nearby, until he gave them instructions for their next moves to learn. The Seed Pokémon was returned after his instructions and exchanged for Rattata. She noticed Brock's absence and wondered what had happened until a teammate explained it to her.

Ash looked over his Pokémon working to grow stronger and nodded. He felt heartened that his Pokémon would stand by him. A bad feeling lingered in his heart from the lack of attacks recently, though.

'Team Rocket must be planning something big if they haven't shown up to try stealing Pikachu yet. I need to be ready.'

He turned to Pikachu and said, "Let's get to work, Pikachu!"

"Pi!"

* * *

 **Long chapter is long, but I had a lot to go over to get from Point A to Point B in this case.**

 **What I wound up changing was Pikachu going with Brock instead of staying with Ash. Bored321 pointed out that Misty had recently blamed Pikachu for her and Brock's loss against Team Rocket and didn't expect that the Electric-type would be that broken up about his Trainer "setting the record straight". In addition, he and Ash are much closer from the even more difficult challenges they've gone through together. So, Pikachu is staring after Misty at first, Ash unaware of his thoughts, but he ultimately stays.**

 **Notes:**

 **1. _Dues and Don'ts_ kicks off the plot by a Rocket scout explaining that Jessie and James haven't paid off their dues in ages, and thus they were kicked off of Team Rocket. Since we never see them making any payment to other agents, I can only assume that dues are subtracted from the profits of each squad's various missions. In canon, no successful missions = no money = no dues paid. Here, as mentioned, they have more than enough success to where it's not really a concern.**

 **2\. In the dub of _Putting the Air Back in Aerodactyl!_ , Professor Oak mentions having owned a Seaking once.**

 **3\. In case it wasn't clear, Bulbasaur just (accidentally) learned Synthesis, which draws in sunlight like Solar Beam, but to heal instead of concentrating it into a beam.**

 **4\. Actually a trait of Tentacruel with its 80 retractable tentacles stretching "almost endlessly" by absorbing water, but if Tentacruel can do it, it stands to reason Tentacool can with their two tentacles to at least a lesser extent.**

 **5\. Rollout, without knowing it's Rollout.**

 **6\. Based on Super Fang's Japanese name, "Ikari no Maeba".**

 **7\. Misty _actually_ did this in _Electric Shock Showdown_ when she pointed out that Canon!Ash got his badges out of pity and he insisted that a badge is a badge. Since she never actually accepted his growth, she was still treating him as she would his canon self: with zero respect.**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	21. Chapter 21: Who's Right or Wrong?

**First things first, I need to acknowledge a milestone. 100+ reviews reached. I'd like to thank you, my readers. I cherish each and every review, favorite, follow, and even plain view of my story.**

 **Review Responses:**

 ** _lalalei_** **: Well, that's certainly an interesting bit of information. I never thought there was a definitive ending to the series planned before, since at this point it seems it'll continue until Pokémon runs out of games (i.e. never).**

 ** _The King of Ranting_ (Answered via PM)** **: In order:**

 **1\. Yeah, the latter portion of the chapter was one huge dose of reality for Misty.**

 **2\. It's the first real chance that James had to train Gyarados, and, as a Water-type, it's best to play to his strengths by teaching him a strong water attack first. And Onix wanted to cover his weakness against water by building a resistance to it, and Brock agreed it would be best since Onix would have the best chance against the sea monster.**

 **3\. Brook informed James of them (Pokémon Flash Cards), and that they could be picked up at any decent care of Pokémon store, so he bought a set from Hutber Port.**

 **4\. More than likely, Giovanni sees that a hostile takeover of one region (or continent, if he took over both Kanto and Johto) would result in the rest of the world uniting to stamp them out. And each region has a Champion and Elite Four of their own. Even with Mewtwo, he does not believe himself and his organization to be invincible. As such, he takes the slow path, gaining control of the continent from underground and behind the scenes before Team Rocket can stop hiding and reveal themselves as the ones with the power. A much longer operation, but one more guaranteed to work.**

 **5\. I'm aware of the fact that a daring move like the battle between Misty and Ash would have long-term effects, and I'm prepared to take them into consideration as I write.**

 ** _The Sinful_** **: Indeed he does not. Once he realized that winning wouldn't get him any respect from Misty, he stopped playing along with the battle. And since Misty insisted on having one anyway, he just got it out of the way as quickly as possible.**

 ** _Bored321_** **(Answered via PM): Yeah, it was a pretty one-sided battle once Ash stopped playing around.**

 **You brought up a very good point, and I edited the chapter while leaving a notice about the change. I'll try to more carefully consider the events of my story when I write.**

 ** _Snakespur_** **: Thank you. :)**

 ** _Snoozing Lurker_** **(Answered via PM): Those are very good points regarding the type chart, and I'll certainly consider them in the future. One example of Flying vs. Grass was when Butterfree beat his wings for a quick wind to render Bulbasaur's Razor Leaf useless. Maneuverability is also a factor, but direct hits can often leave birds and bugs' wings damaged.**

 **Example: A Machoke lands a Brick Break on a Golbat, who quad-resists it. It'll _hurt_ and likely leave its wings damaged if it impacts a wall before getting its flight under control. But Golbat is quick enough to where any punches not outright avoided don't connect anymore than a glancing blow. Poison-types also resist Fighting moves, for some reason. Maybe because most of them have squishy/flexible bodies.**

 **Thank you, I hope you continue to enjoy my story.**

 ** _TheShadowOfZama_** **: Misty's problem was bull-headed stubbornness combined with an inflated ego. She refused to even consider that Ash could be a better trainer than her since he started out pitting a Caterpie against a Pidgeotto. Ever since Team Rocket, he started training, and his loss to Brock had him begin to learn. Also, she makes light of Ash being pursued by Team Rocket since she's not the active target. Doesn't make it alright, but that's what she thinks, and it takes _a lot_ to get her to change her mind about something she considers to be fact.**

 **I'd be inclined to agree with your observation regarding Ash. Considering what he could've become (Canon!Ash), he's come a long way since his first loss. His security in his ability was taken away when he had to flee in Viridian Forest, so now he constantly trains to avoid losing Pikachu since he perceives it as a real threat. He wouldn't be as strong of a Trainer, but I'd bet he'd like to have that peace of mind back.**

 **Also, yeah, I'm not telling when, but I do have such a battle planned.**

 ** _jaguarspot_** **: Yeah, that's a reasonable guess, Jessie, James and Meowth selling things to pay off their dues.**

 **Most likely, if not better since they have a competence boost with their natural talent at selling things.**

 **Yeah, she was, both here and in canon. True, Canon!Ash is a brat as well, sometimes making Misty look down-to-earth in comparison with how overconfident he can be in the early seasons. I've had to watch the episodes in order to get the scenes down. At times, it's hideous to see Canon!Ash in comparison to my version.**

 ** _BrightNova169_ (Answered via PM)** **: In order:**

 **1\. Considering Master Balls don't make an appearance in this season (as far as I know), it's safe to say that the president of Silph Co. hasn't gotten the idea yet. And that's part of it, yes. Giovanni has two Rocket scientists on the inside, who analyze the tech and send designs back to Team Rocket, and the president accepts a bribe to look the other way.**

 **2\. I'm glad you like the conversations, but the original reason wasn't for that. I wrote translations for the conversations because writing Pokémon Speak convincingly is harder than some might think, and I would feel like an idiot trying to get a sequence of two or three syllables repeated over and over right.**

 **3\. I'll consider revamping King Crabhammer's name, but I personally don't see anything wrong with it. Besides, Ash is eleven. Who ever accused him of being clever with naming things? Also, thanks, I try hard to make the characters still seem like themselves, just with changes to their personality through experiences.**

 **4\. All of your points regarding Misty are quite true, as well as what she should've seen about Ash. But, as he said, she blinded herself to the difference in strength. In her mind, he couldn't be stronger than her in such a short time, so she refused to accept all evidence.**

 **5\. He deals with Team Rocket on a near daily basis. If he hadn't learned to keep his cool by then, he never would. Besides, he's fallen into a trap or chased a false trail because of his anger more than once (Mt. Moon, Pokémon Tech, the Squirtle Squad). Besides, he knew that none of Misty's insults were true. He was just battling her at first to earn some respect. When he found that she wouldn't give it no matter what, he quit because, as he said, *he* doesn't need to battle her to know that he's stronger than her.**

 **Questions:**

 **1\. Not too long, I'd wager. There's a special feature on the Pokédex, and I'll leave it at that. When Ash has to use that feature, Oak will know some serious s*** is going down.**

 **2 & 3\. We'll see.**

 **Now, with all that done, on with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 21: Who's Right or Wrong?

Ash returned from his training at the usual time for the past couple of days at dinnertime, Pikachu resting on his shoulder. The Electric-type was tapped out from trying to master Thunder, and was looking forward to a good meal and a full night's sleep.

When he got up to the room the gentleman Trainer had booked for him and his friends, he found Brock already there with a bag of ice held to the side of his face. Geodude was also nearby, lifting one of the armchairs in the room up and down with Strength to train.

The Pallet Trainer looked at his friend's injured state as he took off his shoes, but decided not to ask since the two plates on the table set up with food from the hotel's room service answered what he needed to know. Misty wasn't coming back tonight.

Pikachu's attention was on the multiple bowls of Pokémon food on the ground. He climbed down from his perch and went over to one of the bowls as Ash released his other Pokémon to eat as well. He also filled a cup of water up in the sink and left it next to Tentacool in case she had to rehydrate before sitting down himself to eat. Brock sat across from him while picking at his own food, ice set down with the minute swelling gone.

Even though Ash didn't ask, the breeder still felt the need to answer the unspoken question, "I found Misty at the Pokémon Center, like you said. I got about two words out before she punched me in the face and yelled for me to get out."

"Can't say I'm surprised," Ash replied between bites. "I figure the one thing she hates more than losing is pity. Doesn't really matter what you meant, that's what she'd see. She's too proud."

"Couldn't you say that the way you treated her as if she wasn't worth your time was excessive, too?" Brock asked.

"Hey, I _tried_ to walk away from that battle when it was clear that nothing would change from it," Ash defended. "But she insisted. Testing myself against other Trainers in the city, fine, but Misty wasn't, and still _isn't_ , worth battling."

He gestured to Tentacool, "Two days of training Tentacool, along with some basic strategy of teaching her to fight other Water-types stopped all three of Misty's Water Pokémon. Imagine if Team Rocket got hold of an Electric-type, or another Pokémon that could take advantage of her dependence on water."

Brock grimaced, as it didn't paint a pretty picture. And unlike Ash, who was simply ruthlessly quick, Team Rocket would've verbally destroyed her after the fact as well.

Ash finished off his plate and then drank the last of his water beside it, "Heck, even though they don't think her Pokémon are worth stealing, in that situation they might even take them just to spite her, saying something like 'We'll make them stronger than you _ever_ could.'

"Like I said," he concluded as he picked up Pikachu, who was done eating, "she needed to wake up. Maybe I could've been gentler, but would that have gotten the message across?"

When Brock didn't have an answer available, the Trainer addressed his Pokémon, "Who wants to sleep out of their Poké Balls tonight?"

Everybody except Kingler and Tentacool said yes, both of the Water Pokémon refusing due to the fact that they were used to sleeping underwater or – in Kingler's case – in sand. Rattata simply curled up on the carpet while Pidgeot stood near the wall, both to rest and listen for intruders, and Squirtle simply moved to a spot out of the way and withdrew into his shell.

Ash walked with Pikachu, who was already half-asleep, and put him into bed, "I'm going to sleep. You said we have to leave early to get to Porta Vista in time for our ferry, and I want to make sure my Pokémon and I are nice and rested."

"Aren't you at least a little worried about Misty?" Brock asked.

The Pallet Trainer took off his belt and hat to leave on the night stand while answering, "She was taking care of herself before I met her. She'll be fine."

"I _meant_ emotionally."

"Look, you're going to think that this is really, _really_ mean," Ash started as he got into bed, "but if she can't pull herself together after realizing she _isn't_ the best, then maybe she's not cut out to be a Trainer."

* * *

The next morning, Jessie and Meowth slurped up a breakfast of instant noodles as they looked at a barrel of anti-Tentacool "Stun Sauce" that they had made. Once they poured it into the water, it would spread and paralyze every Tentacool, making them easy for capture.

"We've really outdone ourselves with this level of genius," Jessie commented with a smirk. "Hmph, 'exterminate' the Tentacool, what a waste of resources. This concoction will make it _look_ like they're dead when we present them to the old hag for our reward money, then we can give them to the Boss."

Meowth drank up the last of the broth and added, "Now we just gotta steal a boat ta deploy it once we find out where those Tentacool live."

"Aww… Did you two start an evil plot without me?"

The two agents turned and saw James entering the clearing. He was soaked and had a half-eaten banana in his hand.

"Where've you been?" Jessie asked. She looked him up and down, "Why are you all wet?"

James chuckled and took another bite of his fruit before answering, "All part of the training."

Meowth raised an eyebrow, "So Gyarados learned Hydro Pump?"

"Please," the male agent scoffed before swallowing, "that took half a day. I've accomplished something _much_ more significant with Gyarados."

He turned his head over his shoulder and blew a sharp whistle.

Nothing happened for a moment, but James just stared confidently at his teammates with a smug grin on his face as he continued eating. A strong wind suddenly blew through the trees, rustling the leaves on the branches and making the balloon shift for a moment before it went back to its upright position above the basket.

"What was _dat_?" Meowth asked.

In response, James took out a single Pokémon Flash Card from his pocket and flicked it to Meowth, who managed to catch it. "Check the type."

Jessie squatted down next to the feline agent out of curiosity and both of their eyes widened as they saw that it was Gyarados's flash card and it identified him as a Water/Flying-type.

The teenage girl stared at James in disbelief, "You couldn't have…"

"On the contrary…" James thrust his free hand in the air with a victorious grin, "I _did_."

Even though his partners had an idea of what he meant, it still shocked them when Gyarados flew into the camp over the trees behind James, the branches nearest to him rustling from the wake of his passage.

Jessie and Meowth gawked at the flying sea serpent as he made a circle around the clearing in his descent and landed behind his Trainer.

James chuckled and threw away the peel of his fruit, "I will treasure the looks on your faces for ages to come."

"How?" Jessie asked incredulously.

The male agent patted Gyarados on the side, "I believed in him. We fell into the river quite a few times trying to climb a waterfall for practice. Eventually we reached the top, and just kept climbing. He takes a bit of time to build up speed to take off from land without assistance, but we figured out a workaround to that until he's better at it. That's the wind that blew through earlier."

With his teammates suitably awed, he raised an eyebrow, "So, what'd I miss?"

* * *

"Ash, even if she didn't want to see us, don't you think we should've at least told Misty that we were leaving?" Brock asked from behind a brochure map that he'd bought.

"She'll find us," the Trainer reassured without turning around, his walking stick firmly prodding the ground in front of him for traps with each step. Pikachu, at his instruction, was one step behind him and prepared to leap on Ash's shoulder. Team Rocket still hadn't attacked, and both were getting a bit antsy in anticipation of an ambush.

"Even if she doesn't make it to our boat, she'll track us down," he continued.

Brock raised an eyebrow and lowered his map, "How can you be so sure?"

Ash stopped and turned to look at his friend, "She's not going to take a defeat like that lying down." He then gestured to himself, " _I_ wouldn't take a defeat like that lying down. I'd train, challenge them again and win. If I gave up after my first major loss, then I wouldn't have even made it to Pewter City."

He turned back forward and continued along the path, "Anyway, she'll either find us or go on her own until she feels she can take me on. Misty knows I'm collecting badges for the Pokémon League, and she knows the town where I live. I'd bet money that she'll be back at some point."

Brock sighed since it appeared he wasn't going to change Ash's mind. While the Pallet Trainer wasn't necessarily wrong about many of the things he'd said about Misty, Brock still didn't feel right leaving things like this. The problem was that Misty refused to listen and Ash felt the experience would teach her a lesson. Again, not wrong, but excessively harsh in the breeder's opinion.

But he _could_ give both sides a little time to reconcile.

"There's Hutber Port," Brock announced while putting his map away as they turned a bend in the road.

Ash checked his Pokégear, "And we got here with-" His eyes widened as he saw the time, "We're five minutes _late_!"

The Pallet Trainer rushed ahead, still keeping his stick in front of him on the ground until he reached the concrete harbor, and saw the ferry that was going to take them to Maiden's Peak already leaving.

He and Pikachu sighed, while the Trainer groaned, "Ah man, what're we supposed to do now?"

Brock walked up behind him, "Don't worry, Ash. I did a little research, and that ferry service has several boats that make rounds during specific days like today. The next one should arrive and be ready to take off in about three hours. It's not that long." **(1)**

Ash simply stared out at the ocean for a moment as he realized that Brock set up the situation to give Misty time to catch up. Provided, of course, that she actually got up and followed them.

"Fine, okay," the Trainer replied while putting his stick in its usual place between his back and bag, walking off to find a better spot. "I'll use the time to train. Two hours, with an hour to rest after."

Brock was surprised that Ash didn't call him out on making them late, but followed anyway.

Pikachu looked over the waves and spotted something, bringing it to Ash's attention, "Chu! Chuu!"

Both boys turned with a curious grunt before seeing what Pikachu spotted. A light blue Pokémon with a light tan belly had approached the harbor. It had a round head with three spikes on each side, red irises, and a nozzle-like mouth along with a small pair of wing-like fins on its back.

"Who's that Pokémon?" Ash wondered as he took out his Pokédex.

 ** _"Horsea, the Dragon Pokémon. In this unique Pokémon species, thousands of eggs hatch every spring, and then the male raises them himself."_**

As Dexter read out the entry, Horsea moved closer, causing both Ash and Brock to gasp. The Water-type appeared to have taken a beating, possessing a black eye and various scuff marks.

Brock's brow furrowed in concern, "It looks like it's injured. There's no Pokémon Center around here, what are we supposed to do?"

"What happened, Horsea?" Ash asked in concern while putting Dexter away and getting down to his knees at the end of the dock.

Horsea muttered, "[They're coming…]" Turning his head, the Water-type shot a jet of ink in a pattern that formed a Tentacool and another jellyfish-like Pokémon that was larger with more tentacles. The similar gems in its head tipped Ash off that it was likely an evolved form.

Ash stared at it in muted fear, "That _can't_ be good." He noted the Tentacool-shaped pattern and took out a Poké Ball. Turning to Horsea, he said, "I'm going to let out a Tentacool that I caught recently. She's not going to attack you; I just think she might know something about all of this."

Horsea hesitantly nodded and Ash opened the sphere. Tentacool materialized on land before jumping towards Ash. But he caught her, causing her tentacles to wrap around his arms instead.

"No time," the Trainer said. Turning Tentacool in his hands to face the pattern, he asked, "Do you know anything about this Horsea, or their warning?"

Once Tentacool's eyes fell on the image and Horsea started speaking, both she and Pikachu reacted with horror. **(2)** The Jellyfish Pokémon's appendages detached from Ash and hung towards the ground as she looked down in shame.

Pikachu noticed and asked in a grave tone, "[Tentacool, _do you know_ what this is about?]"

Before she could answer, an explosion boomed, bringing the group's attention to further out on the water. A ship that'd been heading towards a construction site on the ocean had just blown up, leaving a plume of smoke as the two halves began to sink.

Ash reacted in an instant as he saw three men abandon the sinking vessel by jumping over its rails. Taking two of his Poké Balls, he opened them at the same time, "Squirtle, Kingler, Tentacool, save the crew!"

Squirtle and Kingler emerged in the water and sped off, but when he tried to drop Tentacool in too, she latched onto his arms again.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Ash asked when he saw Tentacool's pained expression. At that point, she unwrapped one of her tentacles from her Trainer's limb and touched her own Poké Ball, returning herself.

Brock grabbed his arm, "We don't have time; we have to grab a boat to help those people!"

As they did so, Squirtle and Kingler seemed to notice that their teammate wasn't coming, so they adjusted their plan. The Tiny Turtle Pokémon sped on ahead and grabbed the furthest crew member while the larger of the two set one of them over his back, holding onto the points of his crest, and held the remaining man loosely in his claw above the water. It slowed him down with the extra weight, but it kept both of them safe.

"Over here!" Ash called as Brock drove a speedboat out into the water. "Bring them to the boat!"

The two Water-types did so, Squirtle supporting his crew member as Ash pulled him in while Kingler simply reached up and set each of his men inside with his pincer.

When Ash checked on one of the men, he simply laid still and muttered, "It's terrible! Terrible! Terrible…"

Brock left the steering wheel while the boat drifted, "Looks like he's been paralyzed. What happened to you out there?"

"The boss!" the sailor stammered. "I gotta tell the boss… what happened!"

Ash put a hand on his shoulder, "Listen, we'll get you to a hospital and you can call your boss from there, okay?" He held out his Poké Balls as Brock left back towards the driver's seat, "Squirtle, Kingler, return."

As the Trainer put the spheres back on his belt, he spotted Horsea heading towards the dock where they'd gotten their boat from.

"Brock, after we drop these guys off at the hospital, I want to buy some medicine to properly treat Horsea," Ash said.

Brock nodded as he started up the boat again, "There's no Pokémon Center, but there should at least be a care of Pokémon store in this city."

* * *

After leaving the hospital and making a run to the store Brock described, it having been further along the harbor than they'd been earlier. Horsea was sitting in a medicated pool of water, a small rubber pool being loaned from the shop that sold them the medicine. **(3)**

Ash took one of his Poké Balls off his belt and expanded it as he whispered, "Tentacool, if you know something about what's going on here, please tell us."

With that said, he popped the sphere open to release the Jellyfish Pokémon onto the ground. She still appeared to be depressed, but turned to Pikachu when he approached.

The two Pokémon then engaged in a long conversation of their native tongue. Ash spent the next few minutes checking on Horsea's recovery. The Dragon Pokémon was quickly healing up, the earlier injuries gone for the most part, and he was swimming around the small pool now.

Ash chuckled at Horsea's glee when the Water-type jumped out of the water to splash back under and then surface. His attention was taken away when Pikachu jumped onto his backpack in order to pull his walking stick out of the spot he usually kept it.

There were a few objects gathered near Tentacool, including a frying pan and Brock's brochure map of Porta Vista.

"Are you ready to explain, Pikachu?" the Trainer asked as he turned from Horsea to his starter.

Pikachu answered, "Pika!" He struggled briefly to hold up the frying pan and held up one finger.

"First word." The Pokémon indicated his ear while holding up the cookware. "Sounds like 'pan'." Ash thought about it, "Plan?"

Brock held up a finger, "How about clan?"

Pikachu pointed to Brock and Ash nodded in understanding. The Electric-type then gestured to Tentacool, and Ash got it right away, "A clan of Tentacool."

Nodding again, Pikachu put down the pan and made the pattern of a house with his fingers through the air.

"Their home?" Brock tentatively asked. Pikachu smashed his fist into his upturned palm where the house had been drawn.

"Destroyed?" Ash asked in shock.

Pikachu solemnly walked to the end of the concrete harbor and pointed to the construction site, a mostly completed steel framework for a building.

"It's being destroyed for that," Ash realized, feeling sick to his stomach.

Brock thought about it before theorizing, "They must live in some sort of reef that it's being built on."

Pikachu pointed at Brock again, indicating what the breeder said, until Ash nodded for him to go on.

"The Tentacool clan…" the Trainer said as Pikachu gestured to his teammate and then clasped his hands before splitting them, "split up. What?" He turned to Tentacool, who nodded sadly.

Ash turned his attention back to Pikachu, who moved back and forth, pretending to have an argument with himself. "They formed two groups, arguing over…?"

Pikachu unfolded the brochure on the floor and took the stick in his hand, walking around the image of the island from Port Hutber to Acapulco.

"Traveling on the other side of the island?" Brock asked. "That group must've decided to settle in a new reef."

Pikachu nodded and moved back to his previous position facing to the left with the stick to represent that side. He spoke as if pleading while gesturing to leave. Then he dropped the stick and faced to the right, seeming angrier while representing the other side.

"One side wanted to leave their old home and find a new one," Ash interpreted. "The other…"

Pikachu angrily pointed at the city beside them while still in character and smashed his fist into his palm again.

"The other side is angry," the Pallet Trainer concluded. "They want revenge for their home being destroyed and are going to try destroying Hutber Port."

Pikachu dropped his act and nodded solemnly. Tentacool was facing away from Ash now, seeming sad before she started crawling for the ocean.

"Hey," Ash called before walking over and stopping her, "what's wrong?" He turned her around and saw that Tentacool was crying. The Trainer realized that she thought he was mad for what essentially her family was doing.

"Listen, I'd never blame you for any of this happening," Ash comforted while pulling her into a one-armed embrace. "You chose to walk away from this conflict. And we can still stop it. I'll warn whoever's running this project about the attack. Then, once they shut down their construction, the other Tentacool will still have their home and won't have any reason to attack."

Tentacool latched onto him and he patted her on the back as she cried into him again, "Shh… It's okay." Pikachu also jumped onto Ash's arm and hugged onto Tentacool for extra support.

Brock couldn't help but smile at the interaction. It was always nice to see a Trainer and his Pokémon getting along so well.

Horsea also watched on, intrigued by Ash's interactions with him, a wild Pokémon, and his own. He was certainly one of the kindest Trainers Horsea had ever seen.

Ash, meanwhile, could tell Tentacool had cheered up when he felt something slip up his shirt. Holding the Jellyfish Pokémon a bit further away with a raised eyebrow, he saw that she'd stopped crying and was beaming even though her wandering tentacle was clearly exposed. She even used a bit of her stored water to extend it to reach up past his neck and caress his face.

The Trainer rolled his eyes with a good-natured smile and said, "Feeling better, then?"

Tentacool patted him on the face with a, "Cool." With that done, she withdrew her tentacle and let Ash return her to her Poké Ball. With that done, he took out Dexter and switched one of his Pokémon before opening the new Poké Ball along with one from his belt.

"Bulbasaur, Squirtle, guard Horsea while they recover," he ordered. "They're not quite done yet, and I don't feel comfortable leaving Horsea alone."

Both Pokémon nodded and took up positions on opposite sides of the pool.

Ash then turned to Brock, "All right, let's find this 'boss' and warn them about the attack."

Brock nodded in response, "Right."

* * *

Misty ran from Acapulco along the quickest path to Hutber Port. She had to urge herself to not try taking a shortcut since that would wind up getting her lost. A paper fluttered in her hand, a note that Ash had left at the hotel counter with the receptionist.

 **"Hey, Misty,**

 **"If you're reading this, it means that you didn't come back to the hotel last night and are probably looking for us. If you remember, Brock said that we were leaving for Hutber Port today, so that's where we are until the ferry gets there to take us to Maiden's Peak.**

 **"I've been told that I was a little harsh on you, but I'm not sorry. You needed a wake-up call. I'd bet you want a rematch if you've gotten far enough to read this instead of going home to Cerulean or traveling anywhere else.**

 **"Anyway, considering that you tracked me from outside Pallet Town all the way to Viridian before, I'm sure you'll find some way to challenge me again. I still don't think you're really worth battling, but I'd love for you to prove me wrong.**

 **"-Ash"**

'I'm not going to lose track of Ash,' she internally vowed. 'I'll find him and keep him in my sights while I train to beat him!'

She had already bought a notepad that morning to take notes on Ash's Pokémon and all of the moves she'd seen him use. Once she had enough information and trained enough to counter all of his moves, she'd challenge him again and win.

But she couldn't challenge him again if she couldn't find him. And Misty refused to let him get the last victory between them, especially in such a humiliating way.

The redhead charged furiously along the path, Ash's note still in her hand.

* * *

Ash and Brock had been directed by one of the recovering sailors to a specific building, on the top floor. As they stepped through, the Pallet Trainer looked around, "So, who's the boss?"

" _I'm_ the boss, Nastina!" a rough voice shouted from almost directly in front of him.

He jumped back in surprise as an old woman stood before him. She had scarlet hair tied in two braided pigtails and suspended in arcs instead of coming down to her shoulders. Her outfit consisted of a purple dress with a yellow skirt and a soft pink feather boa. Nastina stood rather short, with an ornate red walking stick capped by blue globe, and she appeared to have menservants all dressed in swim briefs.

"I understand that you helped to save the men on my ship. Thank you very much." All of the men posed with fans as she laughed uproariously.

Ash tried to wipe the odd sight from his memory as he answered, "You're welcome. But I actually have something to talk to you about. You see, that building going on the island-"

"Ah, my new resort," the woman interrupted. "It's not finished, but it'll be spectacular! The world's _biggest_ luxury resort! The hotel to end all hotels!"

"Well, that sounds nice, but-"

Nastina continued, caught up in her vision, "It'll have _hundreds_ of luxurious suites, all surrounded by the world's most _beautiful_ coral reef."

Then she scowled, "But only if those Tentacool stop interfering with construction! Because of those Tentacool, all of the tourists have been staying away from here. I don't know why such despicable creatures even exist!"

"Hey!" Ash called, finally getting her attention. "That's their home you're trying to build a hotel on. Did you ever consider that the Tentacool might, I dunno, _fight back_?"

Nastina glared at him, "They're _hurting_ my _profits_. That's why I put out a reward for those Tentacool to be exterminated. Are you going to help or not?"

Brock gasped, but Ash just glared back at the hotel magnate and leaned forward. "I'm trying to help, but that isn't the answer. I came here because my _own_ Tentacool warned me about what's going to happen. All those times they attacked the ships or stole supplies were warnings. If you don't stop, then the entire swarm is going to attack the city!"

"And why _should_ I stop?" Nastina asked. "I bought the rights to that reef, and I'll build whatever I want on it."

"Do you even _need_ a giant hotel?" Ash asked. "Why not just focus on your other ones?"

"I don't need a snot-nosed brat like you to tell me how to run my business." The woman clacked her cane on the floor, "Throw them out of my building!"

Two of her servants grabbed Brock, but Pikachu buzzed warningly with electricity from his Trainer's shoulder when two more approached Ash. The Trainer set a hand in front of him to let him know to stop.

"Don't bother, I'm outta here anyway," he retorted. "But know that whatever happens to this city is on you, Nastina." Ash turned around and stormed out the door, "Let's go, Brock."

The two men let go of the breeder, who moved to catch up with Ash.

After the two were gone, Nastina grumbled, "Great, a kid that can't be bought."

* * *

Ash and Brock walked down the harbor, the breeder behind his fuming friend. They were going back to check on Horsea, and Ash was still angry about how Nastina refused to stop the construction, even at the risk of the entire city.

Seeing that he might have a battle on his hands, and remembering the larger Pokémon that Horsea had drawn in the water, he took out his Pokédex and searched the Water Pokémon section for the proper entry.

Ash found a Pokémon that looked similar to Tentacool, but a bit more sinister with a sharp stinger-like part on its face and back of its lower head. Ash counted fourteen tentacles and it was also larger, but with the blue body and red gems on the upper half of its head while the lower half with the face was black.

Dexter read out the entry, **_"Tentacruel, a Jellyfish Pokémon. The evolved form of Tentacool. Its numerous tentacles serve as a powerful weapon. It is known as 'The Gangster of the Sea.'"_**

Ash closed Dexter with a sigh, "Just once…"

"Ash?" Brock asked, moving a bit faster to stand beside him.

The Trainer shook his head, "Nothing." Pikachu patted his Trainer comfortingly from his perch on Ash's shoulder.

'Since Team Rocket doesn't seem to be involved, just _once_ I wanted it to not have to come down to a battle. And I don't even know which side I should be fighting for!' he internally grumbled.

Before Brock could try to get Ash to talk, the Trainer hurried on ahead since he spotted the pool where he'd left Horsea and his Pokémon.

"Squirtle, Bulbasaur, everything go okay?" he asked. Bulbasaur nodded while Squirtle gave a stoic thumbs up as the sunlight gleamed off the corner of his sunglasses.

Ash raised an eyebrow at the turtle, "How do you always do that? Did you practice a lot to get the angles down?"

Squirtle nonchalantly looked to the side, not answering either way.

Shaking his head fondly, Ash turned to Horsea, "So, you recover alright?"

Horsea nodded with a joyful squeal and Ash laughed while patting the Dragon Pokémon on the head. But a siren from several speakers around the city cut into the moment and got everyone's attention.

Nastina's voice rang out, "Attention, citizens of Porta Vista!"

"Nastina!" Ash growled.

"Effective immediately, I am recruiting volunteers to _exterminate_ the Tentacool terrorizing our town," she announced. "I will award one million dollars to anyone who can exterminate the Tentacool. Isn't Nastina _generous_ ~?"

"She'll do _anything_ to destroy them," Brock noted.

But he turned to see Ash urging Horsea into his jacket, which he zipped closed up to the Water-type's head to keep him inside. Once that was done, he returned Squirtle and Bulbasaur.

"What're you doing?"

Nastina continued, "Anybody who wants _money_ and to help the development of our town, come to the yacht harbor immediately."

Ash grabbed Brock's arm and started tugging him along off the main path of the harbor, "How many people do _you_ think would be interested in a million dollars?"

They felt tremors and Brock started running with Ash to the side of the street underneath the canopy of a shop. A stampede of people rushed by, parting around the pool, but completely heedless to anything else as they filled the whole street in their charge.

Ash and Brock followed afterward, seeing a tank drive down to the meeting point with all the people clamoring to be the one to do the job. The hatch opened, and Nastina emerged in grey and black army fatigues.

"All right," she called with a megaphone, "which one of you is going to win the one _million_ dollar reward?"

An object blurred through the air before sticking to the side of the tank's frontal cannon. Everybody looked to see a red rose with a suction cup on the bottom to stick to the vehicle.

Ash's eyes widened as he looked out towards the water and saw a mid-sized boat driving in, "No, not _now_!"

"Who is _that_?" Nastina wondered, as she spotted the boat.

Jessie's voice rang out from a speaker on the boat, "Prepare for trouble,"

"Make it double," James added.

"To protect the world from devastation,"

"To unite all peoples in our nation,"

Jessie and James became visible as the boat came to a stop a short distance from the harbor. They jumped to the top of the boat and stood back to back.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love,"

"To extend our reach to the stars above,"

"Jessie,"  
"James,"

The two agents fell into an elaborate pose as they said their last two lines.

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

Meowth jumped in front of them and landed in his spot nearby to complete the formation, "Meowth, dat's right!"

Nastina smiled, "Hey, they got a lot of spunk."

Jessie and James noticed the woman in the tank and their eyes widened at her elaborate hairstyle. They'd never met Nastina in person before.

"Look at that _hair_ ," Jessie commented in awe.

James added, " _Disaster_."

A shot from the tank blew between them and knocked them back with its wake.

"I don't need your _beauty tips_!" Nastina shouted at them as the barrel of her tank smoked. "I need to get rid of the Tentacool!"

Jessie sat up and tried to calm her, "It's a very distinctive style, just don't shoot!"

The two agents then stood up with their hands clasped as the female agent continued, "We are terribly sorry."

"Yes, _very_ sorry," James added. "Please, leave your little Tentacool extermination to Team Rocket."

Nastina chuckled to herself, "This crew might just pull it off." Then she called back, "Sounds good. If you exterminate the Tentacool completely, the million bucks is yours." Her menservants appeared around her wearing matching army helmets and holding fans, "Isn't Nastina generous~?"

"Yes, we heard you the first time," Jessie agreed.

Meowth hopped up onto the rail, "Just get da dough ready for us."

The trio then got back into the seats and Jessie drove them off towards the hotel still under construction.

Ash growled since he couldn't do much in this situation. If he tried to fly out and stop them on Pidgeot or Kingler, Nastina might very well shoot him with her tank to stop him from preventing the extermination. And that aside, he would have to worry about Team Rocket retaliating as well.

* * *

Team Rocket laughed as they drove closer to their destination.

Meowth sung, "We're gon-na make a mil-lion~!"

"All for getting rid of some jellyfish," Jessie added.

"And it's going to be so easy with our super secret Stun Sauce," James laughed.

Jessie and Meowth had filled James in on the plan to fake the Tentacool's deaths so that they could collect the reward and turn the Jellyfish Pokémon in to the Boss.

Soon, though, the motor of their boat started sputtering and they started being pushed back.

Meowth looked down, "Why're we going back?"

Then he and James gasped when they saw the boat resting on a massive swarm of Tentacool now, their head gems glowing red.

"Tentacool!" James warned Jessie.

* * *

" _All_ of those are Tentacool?" Ash wondered incredulously. He knew his own had mentioned a clan, but he didn't think it was that large. Then he took out Dexter, "What's with those lights?"

A split screen with an image of Tentacool on one side and Tentacruel on the other with both possessing glowing red gems appeared on the screen.

 ** _"When agitated, or otherwise under high stress, Tentacool and Tentacruel's gems glow a radiant red color. Exercise extreme caution if sighting one in such a state."_**

"And there's a whole swarm of them out there," Brock commented fearfully.

* * *

Meowth shouted at his teammates, "Dump the Stun Sauce! Dump the Stun Sauce!"

"We don't have enough of it!" Jessie shouted back while looking around at the surrounding Pokémon.

James had managed to get an estimation, "There must be well around ten _thousand_ of them!"

One of the Tentacool fired a laser from its forehead gem and blew up the boat, sending Team Rocket flying, along with the barrel of their poison. The concoction fell on the Tentacool that fired, and broke the lid, submerging it in the barrel.

A massive flash of white light shone between the cracks, and the wooden container burst as a glowing white figure expanded far beyond its boundaries and grew to tower over the ocean. The evolving Pokémon finally completed its transformation into Tentacruel and snatched Team Rocket out of the air with one of its left tentacles.

Jessie screamed, "We super sized it!"

The giant Tentacruel gave a warbling war cry as it held up the trio.

* * *

Tentacruel wrapped five of its right tentacles around the framework of the hotel on the coral reef, glaring at the structure as he squeezed. Before too long, the groan of metal rang out and the girders collapsed under the giant Pokémon's grip.

By now, the crowd was fleeing, except for Ash and Brock, who watched in disbelief, and Nastina, who growled as her half-finished resort was destroyed.

"This is impossible!" Brock uttered. "Even at its greatest height, a Tentacruel shouldn't be more than seven feet tall!"

Ash stared at the scene before him, conflicted inside as Tentacruel was tearing the remains of the construction to pieces. The Tentacool of the reef had every right to be angry. Nastina was destroying their home and trying to kill them because they wouldn't leave. They were in the right, but the way they were going to try fixing the problem was completely wrong. Fix? They were trying to _eliminate_ the problem.

Shutting his eyes at what he had to do, he took out his Pokédex, 'Even if we're in the wrong, I can't let them drag the innocent people of this city into it.'

"Where are you going?" Brock asked as Ash started walking away.

"To check how many major roads there are near the water," the Trainer tersely answered while taking out a Poké Ball and pressing buttons on Dexter. "That's where they'll be coming in from."

"Wait!" Brock quickly caught up before grabbing Ash's hand, "Wait, you're going to try fighting off the entire swarm of Tentacool?"

Ash glanced over his shoulder, completely serious, "If that's what it takes to keep the people in this city safe, then yes. Get somewhere safe. Intercept Misty if you can, she has no idea what's going on and will more than likely get in the way trying to 'help' the Tentacool."

He wrenched his hand out of Brock's grip and threw the Poké Ball forward, "Pidgeot, time to fly!"

As the Bird Pokémon materialized on the ground, Ash hit the final button to switch his Pokémon, and caught the two Poké Balls that materialized over Dexter's screen.

Hooking them to his belt, Ash looked down to Horsea still in his jacket, "Horsea, you get somewhere safe."

"Hor-sea," the Pokémon answered with a head shake before jumping out of his jacket and into the ocean.

Ash looked concerned at the departing Pokémon as he boarded Pidgeot and took off his hat to throw at Brock, "Hold my hat."

Brock fumbled with it before grabbing hold, "Why?"

"I don't want to lose it; I'm going to be flying around a lot," Ash explained before he leaned forward and put his hands on the sides of Pidgeot's neck. "Pidgeot, take off!"

With a beat of his wings, Pidgeot used a boost of Agility to compensate for the extra weight and take off into the air.

Brock stood stunned for a moment before Nastina shouted, "How _dare_ that thing crush my hotel?! COMMENCE FIRE!"

Her tank fired off a shot while her servants each fired their bazookas. But the shells only bounced off of Tentacruel's soft body and drew its attention to the city.

Brock decided to evacuate as well when Nastina shouted at the giant Pokémon to leave her hotel alone. Tentacool started swarming up the harbor and trampled over Nastina's men, paralyzing them as she retreated into her tank until they passed over it.

* * *

Ash watched from the top of a building near the center of the city as a tidal wave came in from the ocean. He'd already deployed five of his Pokémon into the three main roads from Tentacruel's location and only had Pikachu still with him.

The Trainer watched through binoculars as the water crashed down on the streets, instantly flooding them and allowing the swarm of Tentacool to swim about while the people that were still outside tried to swim for higher ground.

On one street, Pidgeot alternated between blowing large tornadoes to suck up and blow the Jellyfish Pokémon back towards the ocean and grabbing people to help get them further back to higher ground.

Bulbasaur and Butterfree had managed to spring a trap, the Seed Pokémon leaving Leech Seed mines floating in the water while Butterfree generated waves to pick them up and drop them on the approaching Pokémon. The result created an expanding wall of creeping ivy that even snatched those that tried to go under it. Bulbasaur used his vines while standing on a traffic signal to assist people that couldn't swim.

The final street had Kingler, freely using King Crabhammer to create giant splashes of water that deterred the Tentacool with sheer force. Anytime he managed to land a direct hit on one of the Pokémon resulted in all the ones behind it getting knocked back as well. He was solely focused on combat while Squirtle handled relocating the citizens to shallower waters so they could run.

But Ash lowered his binoculars, seeing Tentacruel still a distance away. His protections would only last as long as it took the giant jellyfish to get in the city. Once all of the people were evacuated, he would fly out to confront it, despite his reservations.

Even if he did win – and he wasn't sure that he _could_ – it would be the wrong way to end the conflict. It would only be dooming the Tentacool to having their home continue to be destroyed.

But he had no choice. He couldn't allow Tentacruel to destroy the city, even if it was justified.

* * *

Jessie and James had been washed in along with the tidal wave, and had grabbed onto the first solid object they could get their hands on before clinging like their lives depended on it. Once the water level receded around them, they let out a sigh and took deep breaths of air from having to hold their breath.

"Oh, thank badness we survived," Jessie groaned.

James looked down, seeing that they'd clung onto a pole at the top of a building's corner, "We're high, and dry."

"It's a good thing we grabbed onto this pole," she agreed while shaking her head clear. "It should be safe to climb down now."

"We don't want to draw that monster's attention right now," the male agent pointed out. "Better use Weezing and Fearow to get down from here."

Then he blinked as a third voice was distinctly absent, "Wait… I didn't hear any 'cats hate water' remarks…"

"Or 'saw my nine lives flash before my eyes' one-liners…" Jessie added while the two looked around.

Both looked back at each other and said, "Meowth is missing!"

* * *

Misty and Brock watched from a tower high on a hill that the citizens of Hutber Port had evacuated to. The breeder had found Misty heading in on his way out and grabbed her to drag along before she could protest.

When he'd read the note that Ash had left, it made him feel a little better that Ash cared enough to try and ensure that Misty improved, even if he expected her to find him on her own. He almost felt bad for making sure they were late.

Then again, if they hadn't been late, Hutber Port would've been leveled into a shoal by now.

Tentacruel grabbed a torn segment of a radio tower and threw it on an amusement park in the city. Brock figured that the place belonged to Nastina as well.

He held Ash's hat tightly in his hand as he could see a beige and blue speck flying around the city now. With all the citizens evacuated, Ash was taking the battle to the Tentacool and Tentacruel.

Misty frowned, "So these Tentacool are attacking Hutber Port because an old crone wanted to build a hotel over a coral reef, which was also their home?"

"That's right."

"Then why is Ash battling them?" she asked. "They're clearly right to be angry."

Brock turned to her, "Because, they are _attacking_ the _city_. It was all Nastina, the people of this city don't deserve to have their homes destroyed because of one person's greed. Neither do the Tentacool. He tried to ask her to stop the construction, but she refused to listen. Now, Ash is trying to stop them since it isn't the way for the Tentacool and Tentacruel to solve the problem.

"He seemed very conflicted on the matter, but ultimately decided to protect the innocent," the breeder explained. "As far as I know, he hasn't lifted a finger to help Nastina."

Down below, several Tentacool blasted holes in the now empty buildings, and Tentacool leveled the top off of one with a single swipe of its tentacle as the swarm came closer.

Misty nodded, "Then we have to explain it to the people here. If we can get them to promise not to destroy their home anymore, then Tentacruel might stop attacking."

Brock agreed, but noticed something in Tentacruel's grip, "Wait, what's that in its tentacle?"

* * *

Ash and Pikachu's eyes widened from Pidgeot's back when he saw what Tentacruel held up, "It's Meowth!"

The feline Pokémon was blank-eyed in Tentacruel's grip, and a Tentacool crawled up before putting its tentacles over Meowth's head.

Meowth's eyes flashed red, and he spoke in an eerily monotone voice with a drone to it as it also seemed to be amplified by the Jellyfish Pokémon, " **We are Tentacruel and Tentacool, hear us now. Humans have destroyed our ocean home, and now we will have our revenge.** "

"Tentacruel must be speaking through Meowth," Ash realized.

More Tentacool fired their lasers at buildings while Meowth continued, " **Now we will begin to destroy your world, your home, as you have so cruelly tried to destroy ours. And not one of you has the right to complain about it.** "

Ash frowned, as he knew that Tentacruel was right on some level, but he still had to try to stop him. More destruction wasn't the answer.

His eyes widened when he saw a tentacle extend from the giant Pokémon's body to smash into a window of the tower where the citizens had evacuated to. He was about to command Pidgeot forward when a voice made him stop.

"Horsea-eaaa! Horsea-eaaa!"

Ash looked down to see Horsea in the water pleading with Tentacruel. The giant Pokémon turned around while retracting his appendage and glanced down with Meowth facing the Water-type.

" **It's too late, Horsea,** " Tentacruel replied. " **No matter what you think, we cannot turn away. We must teach humans the pain of having homes destroyed.** "

Horsea shook his head while pleading again.

" **Spineless attitude like yours will only allow humans to be more cruel and inconsiderate in the future.** "

The Dragon Pokémon huffed at that and puffed up his cheeks in anger with a sharp retort.

Tentacruel's eyes narrowed, " **So you say _we're_ the spineless ones?!** " He lifted one of his tentacles, " **For that, you must be punished!** "

Ash reacted on instinct, seeing the top of a building a few meters below and to the side. With Pikachu still on his shoulder, he jumped towards the roof below and commanded, "Pidgeot, grab Horsea!"

Without his Trainer's weight, Pidgeot sped down with Agility and snatched Horsea up right before the tentacle crashed down into the water.

The boy, meanwhile, landed hard on the rough stone of the roof and had to adjust to the impact his legs took before he shook it off in time for Pidgeot to return.

'Looks like all that walking was good for something,' he noted before a shadow eclipsed all three of them from above, making his eyes widen.

He grabbed Horsea from Pidgeot's talons and immediately dove to the side before a tentacle smashed the spot he'd been standing at, shielding Horsea and Pikachu from the rough landing with his body. Saving Horsea had also meant that Tentacruel had spotted Ash.

But from seeing the interaction between Horsea and Tentacruel, he saw that it might not have to come down to a battle.

Ash turned to Tentacruel once he got up from his fall, "You need to stop this; it won't solve anything!"

" **Humans lost the right to tell us what's right and wrong when they started destroying our home,** " Tentacruel responded through Meowth while lifting another tentacle to attack.

Ash jumped on Pidgeot's back and they took off before the top of the building was leveled. As he flew, he put Horsea back in his jacket and Pikachu held onto his shoulder.

"How will humans respond to this attack with anything other than another attack on you even if you succeed in destroying this town?" the Trainer asked.

Tentacruel gave a sweep of his tentacle through three buildings in a row as Pidgeot was forced to dodge laser fire from the Tentacool below, " **Then we will destroy them, too! The humans started this conflict, not us! We gave them plenty of time to stop as we hindered the destruction of our home, but they persisted!** "

"That was all Nastina!" Ash retorted as he dropped off of Pidgeot to another building to face Tentacruel. "Everyone else in this city, even those who worked for her, you can't blame them too! Those sailors needed to support themselves, and maybe even families!"

" **That is no excuse,** " Tentacruel coldly replied. " **The fact is that they followed the human behind the deed when they could have refused. These so-called innocents also stood by and did nothing as our own kind suffered from their inaction.** "

Pidgeot grabbed his Trainer by the shoulders with his talons this time before fleeing at the sound of laser fire. A combined blast from all of the Tentacool created a much larger explosion that burst the roof from the inside.

There were no more buildings whole enough for Pidgeot to safely set down Ash, so the bird let go of Ash briefly before quickly performing a tight aerial somersault with Agility to catch him on his back before he fell far.

"Please," Ash pled with his head bowed, "you've done enough! Look at the people over there! They're sorry!"

Tentacruel turned his gaze to the citizens in the torn open tower. They had heard everything that the giant Pokémon and Ash had discussed.

"The humans won't destroy your home anymore. They won't support Nastina or any of her projects ever again!" the Trainer promised with his head still lowered. "They've learned their lesson. We're sorry. Please…"

He kept his head lowered and his eyes closed as he prayed for his last effort to work. A pause dragged out as Tentacruel stared at the terrified and pleading citizens of Hutber Port.

Eventually, he raised Meowth up to speak, " **If this happens again, we will not stop. Remember this well.** "

With that said, the giant Pokémon tossed Meowth away towards the Ferris wheel in Nastina's amusement park. A Fearow snatched the feline Pokémon out of the air, though, so he blew up the ride himself with a blast of his own laser.

The explosion reduced the upper half to glowing scrap metal, and Tentacruel turned around to return to the ocean with all of the Tentacool.

* * *

Team Rocket was traveling through the flooded streets, the water reduced enough to allow them to wade through. Arbok moved behind the duo with her tail empowered by strength, allowing her to lift a large crate and keep it over the water.

"Fear! Fear!"

They looked up and saw Jessie's Fearow returning with Meowth in her grip.

"I think it's safe to say our million dollars isn't going to come in," James observed as he took their unconscious Pokémon partner from the Beak Pokémon's talons.

Jessie smirked at the departing Tentacruel and Tentacool, "But maybe we can get another paycheck. Quick, let's steal another boat."

* * *

Ash watched as the Jellyfish Pokémon left the city back to the ocean.

Unfortunately, Nastina pushed her way up from a small pile of rubble and shouted, "Ya think you can get away that easy, do ya?" She pulled out a smaller bazooka than her men had used and fired.

The shell just bounced off of Tentacruel's body, but he turned to look down at Nastina with one eye.

"I'll capture ya, throw you in a tank and charge admission!" Nastina growled. She fired two more shots with her bazooka and then tossed it aside in favor of two submachine guns, though they were equally ineffective. "Eat lead, Squidly!"

Ash groaned, "She just doesn't get the message, does she?" He looked to see Tentacruel ignoring Nastina's ineffective barrage to look at him expectantly. The hotel tycoon _was_ directly responsible for their reef being destroyed.

The Trainer lifted his hands before grabbing onto Pidgeot again and saying, "I was helping the innocent, not her. She's all yours. Pidgeot, let's get out of here."

With that, the Bird Pokémon turned around and Ash left Nastina to whatever Tentacruel had planned.

"C'mon, ya big jellyfish! I'll show ya!" the old woman shouted while continuing to shoot.

The giant Jellyfish Pokémon loomed closer to Nastina as she fired, towering over her by the time her guns ran out of bullets with his shadow eclipsing her. The empty weapons clicked uselessly, and Tentacruel stared down at the magnate.

Hiding the fact that she was weaponless now, Nastina said, "Well, Tentacruel, glad to see you're wising up and coming over to _my_ way of thinking. Now, why don't you and me go into business together?"

Narrowing his eyes angrily at the offer, Tentacruel reeled back one of his tentacles and swung it hard, knocking Nastina clear out of the city and over the horizon.

Ash watched Nastina fly away, 'Good riddance.'

Then he saw Tentacruel turn around and head back to the ocean after the rest of his clan. He smiled, along with Pikachu.

"Goodbye, Tentacruel."

"[Live in peace at your home,]" Pikachu added.

* * *

Tentacruel swam through the ocean underwater, heading back to the coral reef he and his clan called home. But his eyes widened as he felt a disturbing current through the water. Speeding up his swimming, he found a Gyarados attacking his brethren.

The Tentacool tried to swarm the Atrocious Pokémon, but liberal uses of Dragon Rage disturbed the water and battered them about for him to sweep them with his tail.

Giving a warbling cry of rage with his gems glowing, Tentacruel charged forward, "[You'll pay for striking my clan, sea serpent!]"

Gyarados turned and fled the instant he spotted him, leaving twisted currents to hamper Tentacruel's pursuit.

Enraged, the giant jellyfish swatted the water, disturbing the currents and rendering them less obstructive for him to swim across.

Extending his two frontmost tentacles, Tentacruel made a grab for Gyarados, but the sea serpent used another Dragon Rage to funnel the water forward and make a current to carry him forward faster.

Tentacruel wasn't deterred and retracted his appendages to use them to propel him faster as well. Had he been under less duress, he would've noticed that there was a metal band around the center spike on Gyarados's crest.

* * *

"Just a little further, Gyarados, I can see you coming!" James spoke into a headset.

He stood in a stolen speedboat's driver's seat with a completed Return Rifle in his hand as he aimed it towards the water. Where the bolt would be, there was instead Gyarados' golden Poké Ball strapped into a mount with a hole for the button to poke through the open back of the chamber. As such, the scope was raised and slightly angled to keep the aim precise while accommodating for the sphere.

Their boat floated on the outside of a circle made out of linked metal, the invention that Giovanni had sent them to catch giant Pokémon. Several more rolls of the specially designed chain sat in their boat, but they felt they'd made the perimeter big enough.

The trio had been hard-pressed to get ahead of the giant jellyfish earlier, also needing time to set up their trap, but they were lucky that Nastina had made a nuisance of herself to keep it occupied for long enough. While she didn't give them a million dollars, she'd still proven useful to them. Jessie and James had brought Meowth up to speed on their plan and he accepted the most important role in the operation.

Jessie held a trigger device for the invention, "Ready at your call, James. Fearow, standby!" Fearow was at the edge of the boat, with her wings primed for takeoff at her Trainer's call.

James looked through the scope to aim, "At the ready, Meowth?"

"Locked and loaded!" Meowth confirmed with zeal, holding a smaller bazooka than normal over his shoulder and aiming through the sight on the side. With its miniature build, he held it like his partners would a normal bazooka, which made him the best candidate since he could hold and aim it properly.

James watched like a hawk and then commanded, "Gyarados, fly up!"

The water in the center of the circle started stirring before a cyclone erupted out of it, shooting Gyarados into the air and letting him continue to fly. Tentacruel emerged a moment later, four tentacles primed to grab the flying leviathan.

"Gyarados, return!" the male agent commanded while aiming right for his Pokémon.

A red return beam shot through the muzzle and traveled towards the leviathan Pokémon, zipping across the distance. Gyarados held still, faithful that his Trainer would rescue him, even as the tentacles began to close in. James prayed silently for it to connect while not moving a muscle for fear of throwing off the trajectory. Through the scope, he saw that his aim was true and Gyarados was converted to red energy before Tentacruel's eyes. The giant Pokémon's limbs suddenly grasped nothing as James' Pokémon got pulled back.

James lowered the gun, not worried anymore. With the connection established, Gyarados was guaranteed to return to his Poké Ball. But he didn't give more than a second's fraction of thought to the matter before signaling, "Jessie!"

The girl nodded and pressed the button on the trigger. The chained metal in front of them glowed pale blue for a moment before the ocean in the circle became a field of electricity dancing over the surface, shocking Tentacruel severely.

They watched as the giant Jellyfish Pokémon lit up with the shock and then Jessie turned it off after a few moments, not wanting to overly damage their prize. "Meowth!"

"Ball-zooka, fire!" Meowth shouted as he pulled the trigger and a boom sounded. A spherical projectile shot out of the end and Jessie pointed forward, "Fearow, retrieve upon capture!"

The Beak Pokémon launched from the boat as well, using Agility and following the flying sphere as it headed right for Tentacruel. The gargantuan Pokémon opened its eyes in surprise upon impact and the Heavy Ball that Team Rocket had received floated in the air as it opened up.

Surprisingly, all of Tentacruel's considerable mass got converted to energy and sucked into the tiny sphere. Once it snapped shut, gravity took hold. Fearow caught up just in time and snatched it out of the air. She looked at the shaking sphere, getting ready to fly away in case the capture failed.

Back at the boat, Team Rocket watched with anticipation, Meowth already loading another Heavy Ball inside their invention. They were odd-looking charcoal and white spheres with four smaller blue orbs on the top, but the instructions had said they'd be good for giant Pokémon…

After a short time of nothing happening, Fearow started flying back to the boat. The trio's eyes widened.

"Did we…?" Jessie asked in awe.

James held a hand to shade his eyes for a clearer view, "Maybe…"

"Fearow had her orders…" Meowth noted with a bit of hope.

Jessie's Pokémon arrived and dropped the ball into her Trainer's outstretched hand before landing. They looked and saw that the button had gone out. They'd caught Tentacruel.

The trio took a collective deep breath.

"YEEEEEEEEES!"

The agents pulled into a group hug while laughing triumphantly. Even Fearow joined in, grabbed by Jessie. She nuzzled the Pokémon while still hugging her teammates, "Oh, I knew this plan would be a success, Fearow, and you did your part beautifully!"

"Fearow!" the Pokémon crowed proudly.

"We caught a giant Pokémon~!" James and Meowth sang as the human leaped joyfully with the Scratch Cat Pokémon, rocking the boat slightly. Jessie soon joined in with Fearow, the bird crowing in a way that seemed to be a laugh, "We caught a giant Pokémon~! We caught a giant Pokémon~!"

Jessie sobered up first, "Quick, let's pack this metal in and get this prize back to the balloon, before somebody spots us."

James and Meowth stopped singing in surprise for a moment before turning serious again. They had set up their trap quite a distance from Hutber Port specifically to avoid that, but they didn't want to take any chances where a certain Trainer was involved.

* * *

Ash and Brock boarded the ferry that would take them to Maiden's Peak, Ash's hat back on his head and a Poké Ball in his hand.

Earlier, after everything had settled down, Ash had offered to release Horsea, since the waters around Hutber Port would probably be a lot safer. But the Water-type had really taken a liking to him and decided to come with Ash on his Pokémon journey.

Deciding to send Pidgeot on a well-earned break to Professor Oak's since he'd flown hard and saved Ash's life on two separate occasions that day, the Pallet Trainer caught Horsea in a Poké Ball to be able to spend some time with him during the trip over the sea.

"Hold it!" Misty shouted from the boarding bridge.

The two of them turned around, and Ash raised an eyebrow, "Coming after all?"

"Let me make one thing clear, buster," the redhead growled as she stormed up to him. "You and I are rivals now! I got your stinking note, and I'm going to beat you!"

Ash shrugged, "I didn't expect anything less. If you didn't try, then I'd have to wonder why you were a Trainer, much less a Gym Leader."

"Also," Misty replied grudgingly, "I have to say… that was pretty all right, what you did to get Tentacruel to stop instead of just attacking."

The Pallet Trainer's eyebrows lifted in surprise, but he composed himself and replied, "I did what I thought was right. A battle wasn't the answer, for either side. But if Tentacruel had kept attacking, I would've done everything that I could to try stopping them."

That seemed to make him sad for a moment, but it quickly disappeared as he held up his Poké Ball, "By the way, since it'll only tick you off to find out later, I'll tell you now. I caught another Water Pokémon." He released Horsea into his arm, and the Dragon Pokémon squealed happily as he seemed rather comfortable.

Misty's eyebrow visibly twitched, but she seemed to bring herself under control with great effort.

"It doesn't matter how many Water Pokémon you have," she replied through gritted teeth, "our final rematch is going to be on _land_."

Ash whistled as he continued boarding the ferry, "I'm impressed. Trying to get rid of that overspecialization?"

"Shut up!" Misty shouted as she went after him.

Brock pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt he had his work cut out for him to get the two of them to be anything even remotely resembling friends.

* * *

All of Team Rocket's Pokémon, sans Meowth, were on guard, watching every direction outside of their camp, with Zubat in the center and listening for any intruders. The trio wanted to ensure that this transfer went off without a hitch.

Matori had already picked up the line, but they requested the call to be transferred to Giovanni. They waited while sitting on their knees and eventually the screen changed.

"Greetings, Boss," the trio started, trying to keep professional.

Giovanni pet his Persian, "For you to have called me directly, this must be something special."

"Oh, it is," Meowth replied with a confident smile as he presented the Heavy Ball with his head inclined. "Remember dat time we told ya we had a hunch we'd run into another giant Pokémon and wanted da tech ta deal with it?"

The leader didn't react, except to say, "Explain."

Jessie and Meowth gave their report of how they'd heard about a bounty for a Tentacool extermination and planned to use the Stun Sauce to pretend to kill them while, in reality, taking them to give to Team Rocket. They described how, regrettably, they underestimated how big the swarm would be.

After James described that they'd made themselves scarce until they could get Meowth back, the trio went on to their trap. Giovanni wholly approved of the plan they pulled off and told them to send the Heavy Ball over.

Once they did so, he said, "You three have shown exemplary work in your recent endeavors, despite the occasional failed mission. What I have for you as a reward is a test."

"A test?" the trio repeated in mild confusion.

"You will receive a specific Pokémon for your temporary use," Giovanni explained. "Your objective is to succeed in a mission using this Pokémon. However, I noticed that you captured the Tentacruel only when the boy was far away. For this test, you must complete the mission in spite of his interference."

He grinned, "Succeed, and you shall receive a promotion."

The trio's eyes widened, and Meowth asked, "Officers?"

"Of a sort," the boss agreed. "You shall receive a higher food budget, R&D funding and salary, a new mode of transportation and five subordinate agents. In addition, like officers, you may call upon any nearby idle operatives to help you in your missions."

"You honor us greatly by considering us for this position, Boss," Jessie replied with a bowed head.

James added with a bow of his own, "We won't let you down."

"That's why we're da top team!" Meowth finished with a grin.

Giovanni chuckled before cutting out the call.

* * *

 **End of chapter! I hope that you all enjoyed this one, I certainly enjoyed writing it. And, my gosh! Longest chapter to date!**

 **The reason why Gyarados can fly? In one of the specials, "Pikachu's Rescue Adventure", a Gyarados is seen climbing up a waterfall multiple times, only to fall back into the river. At the end, once the massive storm has cleared, Gyarados is seen flying through the air. It was only one instance to my knowledge, but like James said, he believed Gyarados could fly and attempted to teach him whereas the average Trainer does not.**

 **Notes:**

 **1\. In canon, Ash and co. apparently arrived late at Hutber Port and missed their ferry. That case can be chalked up to carelessness, but this time Brock deliberately took Ash on a path that would result in them having just missed the ferry. Anyway, both here and there, there are multiple ferries, so that's the only system I could think up. Several ferries of the same service arrive and depart on particular days in a cycle.**

 **2\. For _some_ reason, in canon, Pikachu lost the ability to understand Pokémon Speak when Horsea was trying to warn Ash and co. about the Tentacool. The only semi-logical conclusion I can think of is some sort of Water Pokémon dialect that Horsea was using. But since Pikachu communicates with Squirtle and several other Water Pokémon over the course of the series, I decided that reason wasn't good enough and changed it to where Pikachu did understand.**

 **3\. In canon, Brock mentions something about a Super Potion working when Horsea's in the pool. I can only assume that the medicine was dissolved in the water of the small pool, because otherwise, they could've just sprayed Horsea with a Super Potion and released him back into the harbor waters to heal. Because, unless it went how I described it, there should be no difference in which water Horsea submerges himself in. Then again, Misty _did_ show interest in catching Horsea.**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	22. Chapter 22: Trying to Reconcile

**Okay, a message about the giant Tentacruel. While it's never explained in canon, after a reviewer pointing out the lack of information, here's my best attempt at explaining after discussing it briefly with said reader, BrightNova169:**

 **Tentacool are made up of 99% water. Presumably, the other portion is the meager substance of its flesh and the poison in its veins. They can absorb water to lengthen their tentacles and generally live in the stuff to function.**

 **Team Rocket did not make an intentionally lethal poison, but rather a stunning agent, much similar to Tentacool and Tentacruel's ordinary poison that paralyzed the sailors of Nastina's supply ships.**

 **Let's say that aforementioned ratio (99% water/approx. 1% poison and substance) is integral to the Jellyfish Pokémon's life. A barrel of water-soluble poison/Stun Sauce was dumped over the lead Tentacool's head, the container large enough to completely eclipse its main body.**

 **The substance absorbed into its skin and the water in its own body, making the ratio shift dramatically by making the water in its body filled with the poison as well. In order to try and regulate the change, it tried to absorb more water, but the surrounding water was contaminated as well and it rapidly hit its full capacity before it diluted the poison any.**

 **Tentacruel are noted to be able to survive out of water for long periods of time, likely because they have more substance than their pre-evolved states.**

 **In a desperate move, the Tentacool triggered its evolution so it could absorb more water, as well as have more a more substantial body to regulate its higher ratio of poison. As it evolved, it continued absorbing water, instinctively trying to get back to that ratio. Because it was absorbing water during its evolution, it swelled to many times its size.**

 **End result: Tentacruel had absorbed enough water to be a towering giant and its body is back to being at the normal ratio of water to poison for a Tentacruel.**

 **Review Responses:**

 ** _Vuurvlieg_** **(Answered via PM): We'll see. Half of this story's appeal is the ambiguity.**

 ** _The King of Ranting_** **: True, both of those are very terrifying prospects. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.**

 ** _Snoozing Lurker_** **: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Yes, both of those things make Team Rocket even more of a threat than they are ordinarily. With Gyarados able to fly, he becomes a much more versatile fighter, even if he's not that adept at it yet. And the rivalry between Ash and Misty could affect their teamwork. Misty is angry with Ash, and Ash isn't going to lie back and take any of her insults anymore.**

 ** _TheShadowOfZama_** **: To answer both of your questions, you'll just have to wait and see.**

 ** _TheHolyBlade_** **: Answering your questions, in order:**

 **1\. I am indeed going to continue on after Kanto.**

 **2\. Yes, the movies are going to be included.**

 ** _RamenKnight_** **: That's true, but a middle ground isn't always available.**

 **We'll see how things develop in the future.**

 ** _BrightNova169_** **(Answered via PM): Answering your questions:**

 **1\. Most likely. It may or may not have been recorded, but even if it was just word of mouth, I doubt that it would stay secret for long. Even if it was just gotten in an interview, it would just take a quick visit to Hutber Port and a few photos snapped after the fact to have enough for a report.**

 **2\. I made a small edit at the end, since it may not have been perfectly clear, but Misty is staying with Ash and Brock. She vowed to keep him in her sights and watch how he battles, taking notes and training to counter him before defeating him.**

 **3\. We'll see how Team Rocket decides to deal with Tentacruel.**

 **4\. Given that Team Rocket still gets sent flying every now and again, and Ash didn't get crushed by the ocean pressure from diving without a suit while sinking with the cage, I'd say that Nastina is more or less fine.**

 **5\. Very few, if any, know about Team Rocket's pursuit of Ash as of now. We'll see as the story continues, but Team Rocket rarely goes for Ash in a city.**

 **6\. We'll see.**

 ** _Bored321_** **(Answered via PM: All of those are fair points, and I have the following as a defense:**

 **1\. Ash _is_ biased, because not only does he own a Tentacool from that reef (even if she moved to the other side of the island), but he generally picks the side of the Pokémon (unless they're causing trouble for no reason) since he cares about his own so much. In his mind, the attacks would stop if Nastina took her project somewhere else.**

 **2\. Nastina never gave any indication that she cared about the city itself in canon. She was only concerned about the attacks hurting her profits and preventing her super hotel from being complete. The only changes that I plan to have to this story will stem from Team Rocket's competence or Ash's growth. For the latter, his being a stronger Trainer doesn't help him with trying to stop Nastina, and (as I said) he's biased for the Tentacool.**

 **3\. Maybe if Jessie and Meowth had worked with Nastina instead of going back to camp to work on the Stun Sauce, things would've happened as you said, especially once James rejoined with them. They could've whipped up a PR campaign that would turn the whole city against the Tentacool. But without them, her two default plans seem to be force or throw money at the problem.**

 **I know that it may seem weighted, but the episode itself was written to make Nastina completely unreasonable in order to make the Tentacool more sympathetic. Who ever accused the show of being fair/realistic?**

 **3.5 Considering that Team Rocket still gets sent flying every so often and ocean pressure doesn't seem to be a thing with Ash saving the Pokémon that got caught in the cage at the St. Anne, I'd say cartoon physics are in effect.**

 **Sorry if you felt so-so about this chapter, but I've already posted it. And there were reasons that I needed things to pan out this way, specifically.**

 ** _Madara'sHairTho_** **(Answered via PM): Thank you for the praise and the fave and follow.**

 ** _Inverse Psyche_** **: I'm glad that you enjoyed my story so much. I put a lot of thought into how Team Rocket could be so thoroughly entrenched in Kanto, and that's what I came up with.**

 **Also, Jessie, James and Meowth were, in order, a wandering jack-of-all-trades, a runaway, and a stray Pokémon before joining Team Rocket. Both in canon and here, it's not hard to believe why they're so loyal. They have nowhere else to go.**

 ** _BbK2442_** **(Answered via PM): Thank you, I was trying to make it a touch more realistic, both from the premise (Team Rocket being as competent as "top team" would imply) and Ash and co.'s reaction to that.**

 **Sure Ash had the excuse of being a little green starting out (the most we can see him studying to be a Trainer is League matches and that little documentary on the three starters), but if I had him as oblivious and unlearning as in canon, then he'd lose right away.**

 **Yeah, the Rocket trio was supposed to be the group most affected, and the bulk of the changes in this story stem from that boost. Also, I started this fic knowing that it would be a bit of a cult classic, mainly geared towards fans of Jessie, James and Meowth.**

 **Now, your questions:**

 **1\. While it's certainly true that Tentacool are _based_ on jellyfish, but the game's Pokédex entries outline its tentacles as only having a stinger at each end. Other than that, they're mainly just for trapping the opponent with moves like Wrap or Constrict. All Tentacool needs to be careful to do is to not accidentally sting Ash with those two barbs at the end.**

 **2\. Those devices don't seem to exist in the Pokémon world. The most advanced I can remember seeing is that flip phone that a teacher has in _The Purr-fect Hero_. And even that one is an older model that doesn't have a screen or texting capabilities. So, while I managed to get Ash a Pokégear early on, the same can't be said for his Pokémon.**

 **You bring up a good point on the notepad. It'd be soaked if Squirtle tried holding onto it, but I'll see where and if I can include it. Such an item would be good for emergency communication if Ash found the time to teach his Pokémon how to read and write.**

 **Still, I _do_ have a plan for Ash to more readily communicate with his Pokémon. It'll just be a while before it starts to come in, and an even longer while before he can use it to communicate freely. But, it'll come.**

 **3\. Hmm… that is pretty spoiler-y. Sorry, but you'll have to wait and see.**

 ** _Apex85_** **(Chapter 1): Indeed, it wouldn't be James if he wasn't kind (to those he cares about).**

 ** _Guest_** **(April 24th): Quite an interesting prospect, that. Check out the author's note at the end of the chapter for info on my response.**

 ** _Monochrome Lynx_** **: Answers to your questions:**

 **1\. In the anime, there's no defined limit to how many moves a Pokémon can learn, at least none that I've noticed. However, logic dictates that the more realistic barriers still exist. Such limits include older moves becoming obsolete as more powerful versions are learned and having so many moves that certain ones can fall into disuse. Also, if the Pokémon has too many moves, then the Trainer and Pokémon can occasionally forget to take all of them into consideration. Although a notepad would probably help with that last bit.**

 **2\. "Plating" is the process of covering a material with a thin layer of another material. As such, Gyarados's Poké Ball is the same metal as any other, but with a coat of gold over it. And while Poké Balls aren't unbreakable, as demonstrated in canon, anybody who wanted to get at Gyarados's would A) have to get it from James, who is no slouch in hand-to-hand combat (though not as proficient as Jessie), and B) have to deal with Gyarados anyway since the sea serpent would likely remain loyal to James and allow himself to be recaptured. Remember that Pokémon that want to be caught offer no resistance to the process.**

 **3\. It varies, honestly. In his Rocket uniform, he likely keeps them up his sleeve or in his blazer. While disguised in Gringey City, he had his pink rose hooked to his jacket like a corsage, making it ideal for stealthy firing, but it's ambiguous where he kept it before his confrontation with Noah and Damian.**

 ** _Fox McCloude_** **: Thank you very much, I'm glad you're enjoying my story, and I put a lot of work into developing the characters while still keeping their core personalities intact.**

 **Also, the story hit over a hundred favorites! Yay! :D**

 **Now, on a less positive note regarding one reviewer in particular…**

 ** _CommanderM2_** **: Before anything else, let me just say that I appreciate certain points of your reviews the same as any other. Some pieces do give me cause for consideration, and I'll answer the valid questions below. Every bit helps in the development of this story, and I thank you.**

 **However, in a majority of your reviews, you're being very rude. Everybody is of course free to express their opinions, but I would expect a certain level of courtesy. Here is my reasoning:**

 **1\. You ask questions about future events of the story when my previous answers to such questions should tell you my stand on spoilers. Not only that, but placing "Yes or No" at the end of each question implies a demand for an answer when I am neither obligated nor (as you should know) inclined to do so. This has been a trend for many of your reviews, and I would appreciate it if you waited for the answer along with everybody else.**

 **2\. You keep asking me if I know some event of the show. While it may seem minor, I find it insulting to me as a writer that you continually imply that I didn't research the show that I am writing a fanfic around. While I do indeed watch the episodes to refresh my memory, I've seen the show. Please stop asking me if I know something, because I have indeed researched the show, which is what this fic is based around with few exceptions.**

 **3\. Don't. Tell me. What I should and shouldn't write. Unless. I've. Asked. Okay? Suggestions are fine, and I take each one into account to see if I can reasonably work them into the story, but I have the final say on whether or not they're included. Also, there's a world of difference between "could you" and "you should". A few have even been cases of "I want." But you should know that the events of the story will proceed as I write them regardless of what you want.**

 **4\. Not once did you actually say a single word about my story. The three above paragraphs generally summarize the content of your reviews. Sure, you're not obligated to comment on my story, positive or negative, but if all you're going to do is go on about all the things that aren't in this story instead of enjoying it for what's there, then why are you reading it? If you don't like the what I'm writing, I would recommend you find another story or write your own take on the events.**

 **Well, that's all I have to say on the matter. Now, the questions that I feel deserve a valid answer:**

 **CM2: "Wait, if Proton and Petrel from the games appear in this fanfiction, then where are Proton and Ariana. How is it that Proton and Ariana don't make an appearance in this fanfic, yet."**

 **AJ: _Archer_ and Ariana are indeed in this fanfiction, but they haven't appeared yet because they're not in Kanto. And that is all that I'm going to say on the matter.**

 **CM2: "Since Squirtle had lost his team to Team Rocket, is Squirtle gonna form a new team consisting of Kingler, Tentacool and Horsea to replace the team he lost. Yes or No."**

 **AJ: Nobody could ever replace the Squirtle Squad for him. While he does consider himself a part of Ash's team, he'd never forget his old one or try to form a new group.**

 **CM2: "Is it true that Squirtle is now Ash's Pokémon because Squirtle has lost his team to Team Rocket or does he have a desire to get back the Squirtle Squad back from Team Rocket. Yes or No."**

 **AJ: First, that's not a question that can be answered with yes or no. Second, both. While he joined Ash because he was injured at the time and Ash was his best lead on Team Rocket, he also considers himself a part of Ash's group now, as stated above.**

 **CM2: "Since the Rocket Trio is shown to care for their Pokémon and James getting Damien arrested for Pokémon abuse, then why can't they do the same thing to Paul."**

 **AJ: I know I'm probably going to get some backlash for this statement: Paul is not an abusive Trainer. He is simply a very, very, _very_ strict one with high standards. He catches only the best Pokémon, putting them through rigorous training. Those that stay with him become very strong while the ones that fail to meet his expectations are released. It's a very spartan style of training.**

 **Sure, releasing a Pokémon may be looked upon as abandoning them where he's involved. But look at it from the Pokémon's perspective. Either they aren't strong enough to begin with and he releases the Pokémon immediately, which comes at no personal loss to them and allows them their freedom again, or he keeps them and makes them strong. Sure, his cutting words are hurtful, and _can_ be considered a form of abuse in themselves, but those that could take it became stronger for it. And those that can't are released as well, which can be seen as a form of freedom in itself, especially if they managed to get stronger, since that means they can better survive in the wild.**

 **Also, the biggest loss in releasing a Pokémon is usually the breaking of the bond between them and their Trainer. But since Paul doesn't form bonds with his Pokémon, the feelings of separation are negligible. Chimchar was an exception because he had apparently been all alone in the wild until Paul found him. Somebody finally wanted him, and he latched onto that since Paul was the first person who gave him a purpose. Once he joined Ash, he became happy again because he had somebody else to follow, and one that cared for him back.**

 **While none of these reasons make Paul an intrinsically good or nice Trainer, he is also not an abusive one.**

 **CM2: "If Silver were to appear in Johto, here are 2 ideas:"**

 **AJ: Gonna stop you right there. Silver does not exist in this fanfic. I won't go into details right now, but Giovanni has his reasons for not wanting children.**

 **CM2: "** **Aerojester, did you know that in the games and Pokemon Adventures, Red has a female counterpart named Leaf. […]** **Also, some fans of the anime think that she was one of the trainers who received a starter Pokémon from Professor Oak, that Pokémon would have been Bulbasaur because her name, Leaf, matches the Pokémon she receive. Tell me, is it true that Leaf is going to appear in Common Sense as Ash' childhood friend, just like Serena. Yes or No.** **"**

 **AJ: I _did_ know about Leaf, but not about that theory, admittedly. Still, while I can't confirm or deny Leaf's existence since she doesn't a have a reason to _not_ be in this universe (unlike Silver), I can safely say that she and Ash aren't childhood friends. He never seems to know either of the two mystery Trainers, and only has a personal connection with Gary. As such, while Leaf may or may not exist, she and Ash don't know each other well.**

 **All right, that's all of them. Moving on.**

 **IMPORTANT NOTICE: For those of you who don't watch my profile, I recently posted a side-story of sorts to this fic, Common Sense: BtS (Behind the Scenes). It'll feature drabbles of events happening in the background, mainly by request. I have rules in the beginning author note of the first entry.**

 **EDIT: Unfortunately, due to an accident with my computer, I lost a chunk of data and had to rewrite a good portion of this chapter. Sorry for the delay.**

 **Now, on with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 22: Trying to Reconcile

After Giovanni cut out the call, he checked a few reports on his desk from other noteworthy squads. Most reports were read, filed and organized by Matori, but a few made their way onto his desk if she felt they were worth his consideration. As Top Team, Squad 13's mission reports usually found their way to his desk if they didn't ask to speak to him directly.

'Varying degrees of success in other small-time operations,' he listed mentally while petting Persian, 'another report from Dr. Namba raving about a Lugia living in the Orange Islands, a notice from Matori about a squad of field agents, 42, getting caught by the police and their Pokémon recalled via our private Poké Ball Management System.'

The last notice went into the paper shredder as the leader decided, 'That team wasn't anything truly special, and they know nothing substantial. I'll give them three days to escape and report in before I strike their ID numbers from the system and put their squad number back into rotation.'

With the paperwork done, Giovanni decided to get a progress report from Matori on some projects he had running. Persian, at that point, laid his head in the leader's lap, signaling that he had been petted enough.

Pressing the button on his intercom, he asked, "Matori, what's the progress on the Squirtle Squad?"

"Viper's most recent report is that they're about to take the final test. Their teamwork is flawless, but he's requested time to train them in more moves even if they pass," she reported.

"I approve it," Giovanni replied. "And progress on the… disadvantaged Pokémon that Agent James brought in?" While he didn't have a personal aversion to facts, he didn't want to spoil Persian's content mood.

"The malnourished are beginning to show better signs of health while the injured are beginning to undergo physical therapy under close supervision. But the head of the stable and the medic working on them still advise at least two weeks more, both to finish recovery and get them used to the agents that will take them."

"Hmm, get me a list of field agents that have been lacking success and send them to the stables to pick one or two each per team. Make sure to warn them to be courteous or else," he ordered while Persian sauntered over to his plush rug on the tiles near the wall to curl up.

"It shall be done. Anything else?"

"Progress report on the blueprints I had you send to the engineers?"

"They're nearly done building the project specified," she reported. "It should be ready for a test flight shortly. Is it time to send Asset 147 to Squad 13, then?"

"Indeed it is." Giovanni allowed a small smile when Persian meowed proudly in regards to his feline friend in the field. Then he continued, "I'll begin looking through the files on our grunts here at headquarters to get potential candidates. While this trial shall test their ingenuity, I have every confidence that they will succeed shortly."

* * *

The first evening away from Hutber Port, Ash looked at the sunset, aware that Misty was on the other side of the boat. Maybe she was training or writing in that notepad he'd seen her fiddling with for the past few hours. It was her business, anyway.

Horsea, Squirtle, and Kingler were playing in the water, enjoying it before they were on the road to Saffron City further inland. The latter two had tried to teach the Dragon Pokémon Water Gun so that he could join their splash fight, but he could only manage Bubble or a spray of ink at that point. Bulbasaur, Pikachu and Butterfree were staring at the sunset, enjoying the peaceful view with their Trainer.

Ash let out a content sigh as the sun finished disappearing over the horizon. He'd never really had time to appreciate it before, just training and/or traveling until it started getting dark.

One thing he also remembered was that it'd been a few days since his mom had left back for Pallet Town, so he held up his Pokégear and clicked to his mother's contact information before pressing the green button.

A pixilated image of a phone with waves going outward appeared on the screen, and Ash waited against the rail as the call went through.

Soon, Delia's voice emerged, "Hello? Ash?"

"Yeah, it's me, mom," he replied. "Glad to hear you got home safely. You wouldn't _believe_ the day I've had."

"Actually, I think I would, since the giant Tentacruel was all over the news," she mildly replied.

Ash's eyes widened and he started sweating at his mom's rather calm tone.

"So you saw…?"

"Yes."

"And me-"

"Flying around on your Pokémon's back and nearly getting crushed or blasted _four separate times_ as you tried to reason with that giant Pokémon," she finished for him in the same tone.

Ash shivered a bit before trying to change the subject, "Does Professor Oak know too?"

"No, I thought he was going ahead of me three days ago, but he's still not back in Pallet yet," Delia explained. "One of his assistants said he was away on business. And don't try to change the subject, Ash. I nearly worried myself to death over your safety during that report!"

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't just stand aside and do nothing," Ash defended.

"I know," she sighed. "And you specifically said that you couldn't promise to stay out of danger. I'm just glad that you're okay."

"…I have Pidgeot," he reminded. "Once I get to Maiden's Peak, do you want me to fly over to Pallet for a quick visit? Pidgeot has a pretty good memory for direction."

Ash could tell his mom was thinking about it from the pause, but she answered, "No, that's quite a long trip, and I wouldn't want to trouble you. Just call me every once in a while like you promised."

"Of course," he replied with a smile. "Love you, Mom."

"Love you too, Ash. You make sure to get to bed on time."

"I will, bye."

* * *

As the ferry sailed over the waters down below, Team Rocket trailed behind in the sky, their balloon obscured from the distance they flew above it as they kept an eye on their course with binoculars.

They had already decided to sleep in shifts come the evenings, that way they could stay on track.

Giovanni had sent them their Pokémon with an explanation of its talents, and they were still trying to figure out how to use it. They only had one shot for their promotion's test; they couldn't use it just anywhere. And if they were meant to use it in direct battle, he'd have just _given_ it to them instead of loaning it for a one-time use.

Jessie had already settled into the basket for her "required" beauty sleep, and told James and Meowth to wake her up around midnight for her shift.

* * *

The next day came and went on the ferry, and Brock could count the amount of times Ash and Misty had spoken to each other on one hand. Even the few times he'd managed to get them to talk, it usually devolved to sniping at each other.

Which, admittedly, wasn't all that different from before, but sometimes it got rather personal.

* * *

 _"You'd better not be spying on my training, Ash!"_

 _"One, that would completely take the fun out of our rematch, and two, why would I need to?"_

 _Brock tried to interject, "Can't you two remember the good times and just bury the hatchet?"_

 _"What good times?" both of them asked, not even turning to him._

* * *

 _"Just wait, Ash. I'm already on the way to beating you."_

 _"Really? Well, I'll make sure not to underestimate you, then. I'd hate to make the same mistake you did."_

 _"Oh, like you never lost a battle. You've lost to Team Rocket, Brock and AJ."_

 _A sigh, "Please leave me out of this argument…"_

* * *

 _"Face it, Misty. If I wasn't there, and Team Rocket wanted to, your Pokémon would be gone. You're improving, but you were a total wannabe—with some real issues with your sisters, too."_

 _"Rrgh…! Well… you're the reason Team Rocket is winning so much! They're after Pikachu and they're following_ you _!"_

 _"I know. But I'm doing everything I can to stop them while you were content to just sit on the sidelines living in your fantasy of being the greatest."_

 _"Why, you…!"_

* * *

The breeder leaned his forehead against a wall as he let out a heavy sigh. For that last one, he needed to come between them to stop a literal fight from breaking out. They'd been on separate sides of the boat ever since.

He needed something to bridge the two over their hostility. Misty's pride wouldn't allow her to bend, and Ash had made it clear that he wouldn't apologize for telling the truth.

Pulling his face off the side of the boat, he leaned against the rail overlooking the water. In the back of his head, he noted that summer was nearing its end, but didn't really have time to lament his single status. His friends took priority over his relationship woes.

When he spotted their destination over the horizon, he smiled at seeing the festive decorations hung over Maiden's Peak.

'Right!' he realized. 'It's about time for the Summer's End festival. **(1)** I've heard it's celebrated in certain towns; this must be one of them. Three days to patch things up between them.'

If a festival couldn't make them call a truce, nothing would—which would put him in the uncomfortable position of needing to choose between his friends. And, regretfully, he already knew that he would pick Ash should he and Misty split up.

He couldn't leave the Pallet Trainer alone in good conscience. Delia's words still echoed through his mind on occasion. Also, Ash may have been incredibly blunt, but he was right when he said that Team Rocket didn't see Misty as worth pursuing for her Pokémon. Heck, they didn't see the breeder as an active threat either.

Brock would feel insulted at that, but the idea of them coming after his Pokémon terrified him since he knew he was no match for them as he was—not alone. And he _knew_ if they wanted him, they'd wait until he was separated from Ash.

Shaking off the shivering feeling he got from that thought – along with the wave of frustration towards himself that Delia was right about him and Misty relying on Ash to fend off Team Rocket – Brock focused on what he could fix now. Heading to the port side of the boat facing the mainland, he knew that Ash and Misty were at the bow and stern, respectively, both having gone to train.

"Hey, Ash! Misty! Look, Maiden's Peak is right over here!"

His call drew both of them to his position. Ash moved right nearby with his Pokémon following from the water, air and deck. Misty, however, stayed two steps away on the breeder's other side, three Poké Balls in her hand as she had recalled them.

"Awesome!" Ash commented with a smile. "We'll be landing soon."

As the ferry pulled into the dock, an announcement went off from the harbor, "Maiden's Peak welcomes the passengers arriving from Porta Vista! We invite you all to attend our annual Summer's End festival now in progress!"

"A festival? Sounds like fun!" Ash commented. He looked to his Pokémon in the water, "How about it?"

Squirtle agreed and dove down before shooting straight up and grabbing onto the rails of the ferry. Swinging over the metal, he landed right next to Bulbasaur. His acrobatics had improved since he was training to use Bubble Storm on land. He learned how to swing his weight from inside his shell to perform flips. Compared to that, simple back flips with a rail or even from a standing position were child's play.

To Horsea and Bulbasaur, a festival was a novel experience, so they decided to attend in order to see what it was about. The former was picked up and tossed into Ash's arms by Kingler. Once the Dragon Pokémon shook the water off his tail, the Trainer put him into his usual spot in his jacket.

Kingler and Butterfree decided to pass since they weren't really used to crowded urban settings or loud noises, so Ash recalled them.

Switching the two out for Charmander and Rattata, he asked them the same question and got an affirmative from Charmander, but a negative from Rattata. The Mouse Pokémon didn't want to get separated where so many conflicting scents would make it hard to find her Trainer.

He was just switching out Rattata for Pidgeot when the ship dropped anchor and the ramp got lowered. Ash caught the Poké Ball that emerged and released Pidgeot telling him that he could either stick around to enjoy the festival or fly around. Either way, he had the day off.

The Bird Pokémon nodded before departing, and Brock noticed that his window of opportunity to keep the three of them together was shrinking.

As he descended the ramp, he got the strangest compulsion to look to his left instead of focusing on Ash and Misty. What he saw on one of the docks nearly took his breath away. A woman stood there in a white dress, lilac hair billowing in the sea breeze with a red camellia fixed into her locks. She had a sad expression with her eyes shut in apparent thought, and her face was the most beautiful Brock had ever seen.

Brock's eyes went wide in awe at the sight, but he quickly shook his head clear, focusing on the fact that Ash and Misty were going their separate ways.

'No time for that!' he reminded himself. 'Fix Ash and Misty first, _then_ girls.'

Instead, he turned to both of his friends and said with a smile, "Hey, didn't you two hear? There's a festival going on! Why don't we all go together?"

Both of them gave him a raised eyebrow, and he added, "Look, I know you already have your rivalry going on, but you can have that any day. Why not call a truce for the festival?"

The Pallet Trainer frowned as he and Misty glanced at each other, and Brock could tell he was going to say something that would set the redhead off.

He preempted it by putting a hand over his shoulder and guiding Ash away from Misty, "Can I talk to you for a moment?" Looking at Pikachu, he added, "In private?"

The Electric-type was hesitant, but Horsea chimed in, "[Come on, let's see if he can fix all this tension between the two of them. I know I'm new, so I don't know why they're like this, but does it really have to stay this way?]"

"[…Fine,]" Pikachu sighed before helping the Water-type out of his spot and hopping down to hand him off to Squirtle.

Brock then led Ash a few yards away and whispered, "Ash, you and Misty are never going to be friends if you both don't quit sniping at each other."

"She started it," the Pallet Trainer retorted. "And I'm through taking it. This is just fighting fire with fire."

"And how does that do anything besides make a bigger, uncontrolled flame?"

Ash sighed, "Look, I appreciate you trying to get us to be friends, but with Misty I don't think it's going to happen. She's declared us rivals, and I don't really think she's ever been interested in being friends, at least not with me. Plus, it's actually helping her grow stronger as a Trainer to have me around to keep her confidence in check."

"That may be, but have you ever tried to be her friend?" Brock asked. "Have you ever tried to offer kindness instead of just snapping back?"

The Trainer opened his mouth, but didn't say anything as he stopped and considered the question. Thinking back, he realized that he only ever responded to her hostility with equal anger. The nicest thing he'd done was promising to pay back for her bike, which he remembered leaving with the Nurse Joy of Viridian City. She had said that she fixed and built things as a hobby.

But aside from that and his letter, which was more challenging her to be better than any actual reassurance or offer of friendship, he'd never tried a peaceful approach.

At length, he sighed, "All right, you've got me there. She never made it easy, but I never tried." Ash then looked his friend in the eye, "I'll give her till the end of the festival. I won't go out of my way to insult her, but I won't hesitate to give her a reality check if she gets overconfident again. After this is over, it's up to her whether we're friends, rivals, or both."

Brock grabbed one of Ash's hands and shook it up and down, "Deal." Then he led him back to Misty, who waited with a raised eyebrow.

"Misty, Ash decided to spend the next three days enjoying the Summer's End Festival with me, and we'd like you to join us," he explained.

Misty crossed her arms, "I'm not blind; I know you talked him into it."

"Come on," the breeder pled. "The festival only comes once a year, why let it be spoiled by bad feelings?"

"Then I'll enjoy it by myself, thanks," Misty replied as she turned away to leave.

"See, I told you, Brock," Ash commented, making sure Misty could hear. "Misty's too much of a _sore loser_ to call a truce."

"What'd you say?" the redhead growled as she turned around.

Crossing his arms, Ash replied, "You heard me. You complain about everything that doesn't go your way—which direction we're going, arguments, and battles."

"I do _not_!"

"Prove it!"

"Fine!" Misty shouted. "I'll show you! I'll stick with you during the festival, and then it's back to training to squash you!"

Brock wasn't sure whether this situation was worse or better, but he recognized that Ash was willing to give his plan a try and had arranged it to happen. The breeder wasn't going to let that go to waste.

He got between them and said, "All right, so a truce then. That means no battling, no training, and I realize that no arguing is too much to ask, so just try to keep it to a minimum."

Both of them glared at each other, but replied, "Fine."

"Come on, now, shake hands."

The two grudgingly did so, but pointedly did not make eye-contact or maintain the grip longer than necessary.

"[See?]" Horsea chimed in from his place on Squirtle's back. "[They've already taken the first step to patching things up.]"

Squirtle and Bulbasaur glanced at each other, doubtful that it was going to be that simple. They'd both been there that day, and they felt there wasn't much hope of things working out. Not that they particularly cared one way or the other since neither of them had much attachment to Misty, but they didn't want to burst Horsea's bubble.

Charmander leaned towards Pikachu, "[Did I miss something in the past few days? What's this about the redhead and Ash having problems?]"

The Electric-type began explaining as Ash accepted Horsea back from Squirtle.

"So," Brock started as he looked between the two younger Trainers, "how about we start off this festival by having lunch?"

* * *

Team Rocket floated far away and above the port town, circumventing it to avoid being spotted and to hide their balloon further inland.

"It's a festival," James noted as he looked down on Maiden's Peak with his binoculars.

Jessie looked up from where she was painting her nails a cherry red and stood up while waving her hand to dry the polish. Looking down, she snatched James' binoculars with the hand that she'd already done. Meowth was piloting the balloon and had a bandage wrapped around his head over his nostrils to keep the smell of the cosmetic from reaching his sensitive nose. **(2)**

A smile crossed her face as she looked down as well, "Indeed it is. Well, we just pulled in a magnificent haul for Team Rocket with the giant Tentacruel. Who's to say that we can't treat ourselves to a bit of fun?"

They were still between missions and were waiting for a chance to use the new Pokémon they'd gotten from Giovanni. He'd only given them one chance, so it probably wasn't as simple as using it in a straightforward battle. Still, Meowth had quizzed the temporary member of their squad on their abilities, and the trio was waiting for their chance to use them.

The feline agent grabbed the binoculars himself and scanned for Ash and co. before spotting them wandering through the festival instead of moving on. He spoke up in a nasally voice, "Well, da twoips seem ta be stayin', so I guess it couldn't hurt."

* * *

Brock soon found a small park where he set up a picnic blanket. As he set out plates and bowls, he tasked Ash with buying food and Misty to get drinks for their lunch. Ash had decided to leave his Pokémon behind with Brock, but took Horsea with him. He didn't know what kind of food the Water-type ate and wanted his input while picking something out.

The Pallet Trainer wandered from stand-to-stand, picking up some foods for him and his Pokémon first. Hamburgers for Squirtle and Charmander, some flavored seeds along with some jerky for Pidgeot (he didn't know whether he ate seeds or meat exclusively), some fruit for Pikachu and Bulbasaur, spicy chicken skewers for himself and anybody else who wanted them, among other items. He couldn't find anything that Horsea liked, though he was sure that Brock would have some Pokémon food waiting. But he still wanted to keep looking since he was trying to get favorite foods.

He was a bit stumped on what to get Misty and Brock, but thought back to what he'd seen them eat before. With that in mind, he bought several sweet breads that Misty may or may not like and made his last stop at a sandwich stand. While he didn't know Brock's favorite food, sandwiches were a safe bet.

The man running the stall had noticed Horsea when he handed Ash his order and his face lit up as he said, "Wait right here."

He rushed to the back and came out a moment later with a clear plastic box filled with curly greens. "This is one of our vegetarian dishes, ogonori. It's basically cold seaweed, a delicate brand, so it's not very popular with people. But Water Pokémon love it!"

Ash looked down at Horsea, who nodded emphatically, and he smiled fondly at the display. Facing the vendor again, he nodded, "I'll take two, please. A… friend of a friend has a Goldeen, and I'm sure that she'll appreciate the seaweed."

He was of course referring to Goldeen, but the man figured he meant Misty. Still, it would make Brock happy if he at least tried to befriend Misty, even if he really didn't want to.

If Misty worked hard to grow stronger and beat him in battle, Ash felt that she'd end up a better person in the end. Still, that didn't mean that he wanted to deal with her as she learned. Brock stalling them to give her time to catch up really threw a wrench in that plan. He knew that his friend was trying really hard to fix things between him and Misty, but Ash personally thought it was a waste of time.

The Pallet Trainer could count how many times Misty had been genuinely nice to him on one hand and have fingers leftover. That wasn't a friendship, and she'd made it clear more than once that she was only following until he paid back for her bike. Now she was sticking around to keep him in her sights, likely take notes on his strategies and Pokémon's moves, and beat him in battle.

He could respect that Brock was trying to help, but the Pallet Trainer hoped that he gave up after this plan. Not for Ash's sake, but his own. Continuing to try patching up a friendship that wasn't there would just stress him out.

* * *

Pikachu looked around, trying to spot Ash in the variety of people passing by. While he'd agreed hesitantly that it was safer for him to be with the rest of Ash's Pokémon and Brock for back-up instead of alone with Ash and Horsea, he was worried. Misty had arrived a while back with drinks, but the Electric-type was more concerned with the whereabouts of his Trainer.

Bulbasaur walked up beside him, "[What's wrong?]"

"[It's Ash,]" Pikachu answered while still scanning the crowd. "[I'm worried that Team Rocket might attack him and, without us, that they'll capture him.]"

For what reason, he didn't know, but the more rational part of Pikachu's mind had been pushed aside after the first half-hour of his Trainer being gone.

"[Pidgeot's out there too, you know,]" Squirtle reminded. "[Knowing him, he's got half an eye on Ash while he's enjoying his flight.]"

Charmander spoke up as well, "[And he's not completely alone. He's got Horsea with him. Even if he's not much of a fighter, he could at least squirt ink in Team Rocket's faces and give Ash time to run away.]"

Squirtle chuckled, "[I'd pay to see _that_.]"

Charmander had taken the news of the past few days' events rather well. When Pikachu had told him of the rematch between Ash and Misty, along with the resulting rivalry, he'd given a rather simple verdict: Misty had been too arrogant and paid the price for it. To Charmander, it didn't change his worldview in the slightest. He had no special connection with Misty, and thus gave his honest opinion on the battle, and Ash had come out the victor as the Fire-type would expect.

Although his respect for Misty had gone up a notch at finding out that she started training for another rematch despite her crushing defeat. But he didn't deem the matter as worth being concerned over. Ash would win again or he would lose to an opponent that worked for it—either way, it wouldn't change Charmander's view of his Trainer.

He _was_ a bit annoyed that he'd missed a huge battle in the events of Hutber Port, but reluctantly conceded that there wouldn't be much he could do with so much water flooding the streets, and that a battle wasn't the answer in the face of a giant Pokémon.

When Ash turned the corner, arms laden with bags of food, Squirtle pointed, "[See? He's fine.]"

That still didn't stop Pikachu from setting up his spot closest to Ash, who sat down near his Pokémon to distribute the various items around the picnic blanket. He also gave Misty a box of curly seaweed for Goldeen, to Brock's silent approval, but the redhead said that she could've gotten it herself as she accepted it.

Ash didn't comment and asked Charmander to dig a small hole and Squirtle to fill it with Water Gun so Horsea could have somewhere to float instead of having to rest on the ground. But Squirtle had lifted his hand and demonstrated that he knew Dig as well. When asked how, the Water-type pretended to walk innocently along and dropped into the hole, pretending to be surprised.

"Oh, your pitfall traps. That actually makes sense," the Pallet Trainer commented with a nod. Once the hole was filled with water, he lowered Horsea inside. Pidgeot arrived soon after, landing a short distance away before walking to his spot to avoid kicking up any dirt over the picnic.

Before long, everybody was set up with food and they began eating. Conversation ceased for a time as the group was more focused on their meals. All except one, who used the time for some quiet observations.

Charmander looked around at his gathered team, surveying them and privately running an analysis of each of their abilities.

His eyes fell on Pikachu, who was curious about a red condiment that Ash was pouring on his burger, 'He's way beyond me in ability. If I could just get a hit on him, then I'd win, but with his speed, that'd never happen. Even the move I've been practicing in secret wouldn't hit him since he could just burrow away.'

Said move was meant to impress Ash with his initiative in learning it, but he wanted to save it for when it'd be effective or if his Trainer caught up and started training him on that move. Either way, having it fall flat for his first demonstration would leave a bad impression.

Meanwhile, Pikachu had licked up some of the condiment that Ash had identified as "ketchup" and went crazy with glee at the taste. Snatching the bottle, he started pouring it all over his Pokémon food.

Charmander sweat as he watched Ash try to wrestle the ketchup away from Pikachu before the Electric-type could use it all himself. 'If I didn't know him so well, I'd say there's no way he could be so strong with how he acts.'

He went back to looking around while wool gathering. Glancing at each teammate that became the subject of his thoughts, he tried not to be overly obvious about it.

'Squirtle has a type advantage, and his recent agility training even removes my edge in speed with his maneuverability. Bulbasaur, I _might_ be able to beat, but he's a tricky fighter. One whiff of any powders he has and I'm down. The same for Butterfree.'

With the realization of that weakness, he made a note to figure out a counter for powder moves in general.

Charmander's gaze turned to Pidgeot, 'Pidgeot and Kingler are fully evolved and have a massive power advantage on top of Pidgeot's flight and Kingler's type. Either of them could beat me without much effort.'

His eyes momentarily passed over Horsea, but he didn't count the Dragon Pokémon or Tentacool since they were strict swimmers. Trying to battle such Pokémon, presumably in their element, would be tactical – and potentially literal – suicide at this point. Not without a lot more firepower and wings.

'Even Rattata, I'd only give myself a fifty-fifty chance,' the Fire-type mused while absently reaching for a spicy chicken skewer, not noticing since his mind was elsewhere. 'I'd either need to not use my flames at all or try to take her out with one strike. Either would put me at a disadvantage, and that's with me hitting her. She can give Pikachu a run for his money in races, and her size doesn't make her any easier to hit.'

Charmander accidentally bit through the stick his food was skewered on, spitting out the wooden fragment without a second thought, as he thought about what would happen if he accidentally activated Rattata's ability.

'I'd be beaten in an instant if she got that power boost. Mm, this is good.' Charmander sniffed at the spiced chicken that had momentarily distracted him. While the actual spice barely tickled his tongue since he was a Fire-type, he liked the taste better than the other foods. He grabbed another two skewers before resuming his train of thought.

The Lizard Pokémon was confident that he could beat any opponents Ash put him up against, being surrounded by so many fighters stronger than him gave him cause for concern. It made him feel like the weak link, even if it was relative to his teammates instead of objective.

'I'm a Fire-type,' he reminded himself. 'The old tree man said that means I'm strong against grass, bugs and ice. Pidgeot and Butterfree may be good for the first two, but I'm all Ash has for Ice-types. So long as he doesn't catch a fighter or Rock-type…'

The thought made him repress the urge to shudder, and he brought his straying mind under control.

'Calm down.' He did a quick mental count of the team, himself included, 'Ten Pokémon. That's a much smaller amount than… _his_. I still have plenty of time. And once I evolve, my position on the team is secure.'

Charmander set the empty skewer down and picked up a fresh one, noticing that conversation had resumed among the other Pokémon with the depleting levels of food, namely Squirtle asking Horsea about his seaweed. The Dragon Pokémon offered for him to try some, and Squirtle took a curly strand before popping it into his mouth.

The Tiny Turtle Pokémon visibly shuddered and took several big bites of his hamburger to try washing the taste out.

Horsea laughed, "[Well, you may not like it, but I love it.]"

"[Maybe because we met him near a city his tastes are different,]" Bulbasaur chimed in.

Pidgeot nodded, "[That's probably it. I mean, I've seen a few Pikachu in Viridian Forest, and they usually go for fruits and berries, but a couple of Trainers I've seen with them as pets give them candies or other sweets.]"

"[Blech…]" Squirtle gagged with a hint of nausea. "[My gang and I tried some stolen candy once. It tasted terrible, _way_ too sweet. We actually left it back where we got it after that.]"

Charmander chuckled to himself. 'I hope I get to stay on this team. It's much more interesting than my old one, even before our first defeat.'

* * *

Brock looked back and forth between Ash and Misty. While a spread of good food managed to stop them from arguing, they weren't talking either. He'd been in a few short discussions with Ash, but they always ended whenever he tried to bring Misty into them.

The breeder noticed that Ash's free hand was clenched into a fist and figured that he was restraining himself from snapping at Misty for her rude dismissals to him. While he was touched at his friend apparently wanting to stick up for him, at the moment, he appreciated that he kept his promise more. But he knew that Ash wouldn't be able to keep it up much longer.

Brock internally sighed while hiding his frown behind a bite of a tuna salad sandwich, 'Ash is trying, at least, but Misty seems like she's not going to bend on their rivalry so easily. Maybe a different approach…'

"Hey, you there!" a reedy voice called from behind him.

The trio of Trainers looked over the breeder's shoulder and saw a short old woman standing before them. She leaned on a wooden staff and stood in a purple robe that extended all the way to the ground. Her hair was white and extended down her hunched form to her waist.

Brock raised an eyebrow, "Me?"

Moving with surprising agility given her apparent age, she rushed beside him with a magnifying glass. Brock leaned away slightly in surprise as she looked through the item into his eye, her own narrowing in apparent recognition.

"Beware, not of an old beauty like me, but a beautiful young woman, or you will meet a cruel fate," the old woman intoned ominously.

The breeder blinked in confusion at that prophecy, combing through anything that might indicate such a threat.

"Wait, that girl at the dock?" he asked in a low tone.

"Well, _I_ must be the beautiful woman she's talking about," Misty decided bashfully, "but I'd never hurt Brock."

The old lady turned to her, but Ash spoke up first with a short laugh.

"Misty, my mom's a woman. Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy are women," he pointed out. "You're a girl."

Misty growled at him, but Brock caught something that Ash hadn't said and latched onto it. The Pallet Trainer may have broken his silence, but he could make this work.

"Wait, you didn't mention Misty's sisters," he interrupted before the redhead could say anything. Deciding he could take the heat and make up for it later, he said, "They were quite pretty."

Sure enough, Misty whipped around to face him full of fury, but it gave the Pallet Trainer time to respond.

"Ehh…" Ash muttered as he thought back to his encounter with the "Sensational Sisters." "Maybe, but they didn't look all that responsible. They seem a lot more interested in their performances than actually running the Gym."

He knew very well what Brock was trying to pull. Misty was still facing away from him, but had a more relaxed posture. Still, he only ever told the truth about Misty, so he wasn't going to change that.

Plus, Ash privately had to admit, it was a well-played move on his friend's part. But that didn't mean he was going to give praise without criticism.

"I mean, all four of them seem pretty vain, but at least _one_ of the Gym Leaders acts like a Gym Leader instead of treating it as a hobby," he finished.

It might be stretching it a bit, since he didn't actually know Misty's history regarding Gym challenges, but he figured that since her leaving was apparently a recent event, she had been in at least a few of them.

His mixed review left Misty unsure whether to feel insulted or complimented, while Brock had to grant that Ash had given an accurate assessment like he said he would. He couldn't fault him for that.

'Still, progress,' he noted while standing up. "Come on, let's go try some of the games around here now that we've had our lunch."

Misty raised an eyebrow at the breeder's about-face in attitude, but Ash beckoned her over as well, "Come on, Misty. Let's see who wins a prize first."

* * *

'Something must have gone wrong with my spell. He shouldn't be able to think about any woman besides her.'

He seemed _aware_ , but for some reason wasn't completely captivated.

'Perhaps I should find another target after all, just to be on the safe side.'

* * *

Jessie and James walked through the festival, the latter having Mankey hanging off his back.

Meowth had split off from them at the start, claiming that he wanted to actually enjoy the festival instead of posing as a pet. Thus, he'd donned his Mr. Pokémon disguise again (with _him_ picking out the alias, at his insistence) and ran off with a portion of his cut from the prize money and James' winnings.

In addition, he'd worn gloves that had a special wire frame inside them. They'd been a project of his since Mt. Moon, after he'd found the stuffed gloves to be inconvenient. It was still in the prototype stage, but some special wires in the palms where his paws rested allowed him to manipulate the fingers by pulling the cables with his claws. Since it needed more refining, two wires in each hand controlled two fingers each while the last controlled the thumb.

In any case, with his usual disguise and the fake hands, nothing was stopping Meowth from enjoying the festival on his own. The last they'd heard of the feline agent was him gleefully muttering "Meowth want a cotton candy!"

Jessie wore a blond wig of wavy hair, her naturally blue eyes helping to disguise herself as a foreigner. James, on the other hand, went with the tried and true method of spraying his hair black and tying it back with a pair of grey contact lenses to disguise his eye color. Both wore clothes that identified them as tourists, and Mankey had a pair of pince-nez-like sunglasses as he sipped a drink from his position clinging to his Trainer.

The female agent was admittedly envious of her partner's ability to have Mankey out. All three of her Pokémon were considered too dangerous to casually have out. She squeezed a Psyduck doll that she'd won by knocking down bottles and it let out a squeak. It wouldn't even make a decent gift for any of her Pokémon.

"You know, festivals always seemed more fun from afar when I was younger," James commented while tossing a small rubber ball. "Maybe it's the difference between wanting and having."

"Probably," Jessie agreed. "I went to one or two during my travels, but it was usually for the cheap festival food or because my coworkers dragged me along."

"Resupply and leave tonight, then?" the male agent asked while glancing at her.

She sighed, "I suppose so. There's no real point to staying around here, and we still need to find a proper mission to use our new Pokémon. I want that promotion as soon as possible. As soon as we find 'Lars', we're going to do as you said and scout ahead."

Unfortunately, James wasn't paying much attention. His bored gaze had drifted around to find something interesting, and he saw something at the distant harbor. There was a woman standing by one of the boats, lilac hair down to her waist with a red camellia tucked at the side of her head. Her white dress seemed to radiate purity, and James was astonished that nobody else seemed to notice her.

Jessie noticed James's slack-jawed expression and slapped him over the back of his head, "Stop daydreaming! Did you even hear a single word I said?"

While James stammered out a repeat of the plans Jessie had made, resupply and scout ahead after leaving tonight, Mankey looked where his Trainer had been staring. A woman standing there disappeared to be replaced with a purple, gaseous sphere that had a face on its front. It turned his way and grinned with malevolent amusement at being spotted before disappearing. The Fighting-type lifted his sunglasses to get a better look, wondering if it'd been his imagination.

"Hold it right there!"

Jessie and James's eyes widened, wondering if somebody had overheard them, but decided to act nonchalant with a quick gaze to each other confirming their plan of approach.

"Hmm? Can we help you ma'am?" Jessie asked, playing up the dumb blonde role to the old woman behind them by smiling with her eyes squinted shut.

Said woman didn't seem to buy it, "I've been watching you; you're up to no good!" She held up a magnifying glass and looked to James, "And there's no good in your future."

"What do you mean? We're just tourists here to enjoy the Summer's End festival," James carelessly deflected with a wave of his hand, Mankey replacing his sunglasses to mimic the gesture from his back.

The old woman persisted, "I see a young and beautiful woman who will lead you to a cruel fate."

The teen rolled his eyes with a sigh, "I don't need a _fortune_ _teller_ to know that. Some woman is _always_ causing me trouble—it's a _curse_."

He suddenly got grabbed by Jessie, who was still smiling in character, but had a palpable aura of anger starting up behind her cheery expression.

"Oh? And who would _that_ be?" she asked in an innocently curious, and at the same time terrifying tone.

"Oh! Nonono!" James frantically explained while waving his hands. "Not you, I meant somebody from my childhood. Honest!" ( **3)**

As he tried to dissuade Jessie from laying down a beating, Mankey glanced back at the old woman before curiously looking around. She was nowhere to be found now.

* * *

Brock found himself massaging the bridge of his nose in frustration. Moving to carnival games had only sparked a competition between Ash and Misty. In hindsight, he really should've seen it coming. At the very least, a neutral party had won the first prize instead of either of the two Trainers.

Horsea was quite happy to have both learned Water Gun and won a hibiscus-patterned scarf from the shooting gallery. It was made of water-resistant fabric as well, allowing it to be worn even when submerged.

After both Ash and Misty displayed a surprising lack of talent for the various games, Misty was second to win, holding a stuffed Poliwag doll. But the Dragon Pokémon's prior victory tempered any boasting when Ash pointed out that neither of them won first.

'This isn't working,' Brock concluded as he dragged his hand down his face. 'I suppose that's it, then. I didn't want to have to do this, but if the direct approach doesn't work, nothing will.'

Composing himself, the breeder pointed to a mid-sized Ferris wheel, "Hey, why don't we go on that next?"

Ash raised an eyebrow, "Hmm, I don't know. It's no roller coaster, but I _have_ heard good things about the view from the top of a Ferris wheel…"

Though she tried to conceal it, Misty seemed interested as well.

"I've heard it's more magical at night," Brock chuckled. "Anyway, I'm sure you'll want to sit with your Pokémon, so I'll ride with Misty."

* * *

Ash was inwardly surprised at that, having expected his friend to try putting him and Misty alone together in an effort to get them to talk out their issues.

While he halfway wished that he could listen in on the conversation, he instead shrugged and walked to the car on the left while Brock led Misty to the right. The attendant running the ride had already opened the door, so he moved to enter when he saw somebody inside. She must have already gone in while he was watching them.

Ash inclined his head, "Excuse me, ma'am."

Making his way in to sit on the other side, his Pokémon – sans Pidgeot, who was back to flying around – filed in behind him and took their seats. Charmander and Squirtle sat on the edges to get a view outside, Bulbasaur sat next to Ash, Pikachu was in his lap and Horsea was in his jacket.

By the time everybody was settled down, they noticed that the woman had left. But they paid it no mind and instead spread out between the two sides. At Horsea's request, Squirtle took the Dragon Pokémon onto his back so he could see outside too.

* * *

'Blast, I needed to get him alone, and I got the wrong boy. This one's far too young to pass off a trance as earnest infatuation.'

'I suppose I'll just have to take a more direct approach later.'

* * *

Brock spent the time waiting for the attendant to close the door readying himself for what he was about to say. He'd never had to take such an approach when raising any of his siblings, but Ash and Misty were considerably older than them and both were pretty stubborn.

Though, objectively, he had to admit that Misty was more so than Ash. That was why he was in the car with her instead of him.

The redhead spoke up when the ride started, "So, I'm guessing you have something to say?"

"I guess it was pretty obvious," the breeder granted. "I'm going to be completely honest, Misty. You're making it very difficult for Ash to be friends with you."

"Hey, he started it," Misty defended.

Brock tilted his head, "How?"

"With this," she spat while pulling a crumpled piece of paper from her backpack.

"Let me see that, please."

Misty handed it over, feeling that it would help Brock see things her way. The breeder smoothed the letter out and read through it. After a while, he nodded and handed the paper back to her.

"See?" she asked.

Her fellow Gym Leader nodded, "I see. Ash cares more about you than he let me know."

"What?!" Misty shouted, thrown for a loop at the seemingly random assessment.

"This actually helps me understand him a little bit better," Brock continued, ignoring her outburst as he crossed his arms in thought. "I figured that he left you behind because he was angry, but no. He did it so that you would work for your rematch and grow as a person. A harsh method, but given his own experiences, he must have thought you'd come out better for it in the end."

Misty stood up as the Ferris wheel came to a stop, allowing people at the bottom to get on. But she wasn't focused on the view.

"How can you defend him?!" Misty demanded.

Brock looked up to her, "He didn't do anything besides be stronger than you. I'm sorry, but in the end you have nobody to blame but yourself for that, even if he was a bit excessive in my opinion. Anyway, the main point of why I came up here with you was to let you know that if you keep pushing Ash, he'll leave you behind."

Misty sat back into her seat with a huff and crossed arms, "He can't run fast enough to lose me. You saw that outside Pewter City."

"Can you fly?"

The redhead blinked at the sudden question.

"Pidgeot is always one call away. If Ash decides to leave, can you follow him?" Brock persisted. "It's only a matter of time until he figures out that he can fly off on Pidgeot, if he hasn't already."

The ride started up again as the breeder continued, "But even if he did, I'd guess that he wouldn't do it unless he had another flying Pokémon to help me along. Although, if he decides to leave you again, I won't be able to stop him, nor would I want to."

"But… why him?" Misty actually sounded hurt underneath the anger, and Brock had to try hard to keep his expression firm. He knew that the redhead was good inside, but he had to tell her.

"Because, while you may not know, Ash goes through a lot of turmoil over Team Rocket—more than the direct feelings of loss such as after the Squirtle Squad," Brock gravely pointed out. "He took precisely one day off at Acapulco, which may have just been because it was with his mom, and spent the rest of our time there training from morning till dinner. While he'll never overwork his Pokémon, he never lets his guard down anymore either. He gets restless when Team Rocket doesn't attack because he expects the worst for when they do come. Ash doesn't show fear because he can't afford to.

"But even though I'm not close enough for him to outright tell me things like that, he still trusts me to have his back. And while he may disagree with me, he'll always at least hear out my opinion. He cares about me as a friend and what I think of him," he explained. "He _needs_ someone that he can trust close by, or before long the paranoia will tear him apart."

The breeder then looked out the window to see their descent, "And I've already strained that trust by keeping the two of you together when he wanted to leave you behind."

Turning back to Misty, the Pewter Leader said, "I delayed him, and he was good enough to not hold it against me, probably because it let us help out at Hutber Port. But he has his limits, and it took some convincing to get him to humor me on burying the hatchet for the festival. If I keep pushing him, he'll leave _both_ of us behind, and I can't allow that."

The ride came to a stop, and Brock stood up, "I don't _want_ to have to pick a side, but in the end, it's Ash who needs me more. I want you two to get along. Don't make me regret letting you catch up to him."

* * *

Ash walked out of the car with his Pokémon and stretched out. The view had been nice, and especially Horsea had enjoyed being able to see from so high up without any tension like in Hutber Port. He saw Pidgeot coasting nearby and laughed as he remembered waving at the Bird Pokémon passing by his car.

He glanced to where he remembered Misty and Brock getting on and blinked in surprise when he saw Misty shouldering her way into the crowd and Brock standing with a sad look on his face.

Making his way over, the Pallet Trainer asked, "Did… it not go well?"

"I said everything that I could," his friend answered in a hollow tone. "It's up to her now."

Ash frowned slightly before brightening up, "Hey, I heard that they're going to be unveiling some sort of special painting at the shrine. How about we go see that?"

Brock sighed and gave a slight nod, "That'd be nice."

* * *

 **And that's all for now! Sorry that I wound up splitting an episode into two chapters (again), but it was running long again, and I like to keep my chapters at least semi-uniform. All the same, I hope that you all enjoyed.**

 **Now, for those who feel that this chapter lacks action, there's something that might interest you. I got this review last chapter from a guest that went as such (cropped to the first sentence):**

 **"I could actually see your Ash beating cannon eight badges Ash in a six on six battle."**

 **The in-development second chapter of Common Sense: BtS is my response to that review. I _had_ it mostly done, but with the aforementioned computer accident, the entire chapter was lost. It's in the works once again, and I'll try to have it out ASAP.**

 **Notes:**

 **1\. The Summer's End festival isn't a real holiday, but its closest equivalent I could find was the Bon Festival, which involves sending out the lantern boats at the end and is also held for three days.**

 **2\. While there are the "no nose" jokes, Meowth is still clearly able to smell things. So, while he has no _visible_ nose, I'm assuming that he has nostrils, at the very least, under his fur.**

 **3\. Some may argue that he _is_ talking about Jessie in canon, but whether or not it's true there, he's talking about the other troublesome woman he knows in this continuity.**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	23. Chapter 23: Love From Beyond the Grave

**Review Responses:**

 ** _Snoozing Lurker_** **(responded via PM): In order:**

 **1\. I'm glad you like. :)**

 **2\. Rattata's time will come. Don't worry.**

 **3\. Maybe, maybe not. Jessie is quite capable and has powerful Pokémon, two of which offer her a pretty ready escape.**

 **4\. As we discussed, Charmander is Kanto born and raised, so he doesn't quite know about the Steel-type yet.**

 **5\. The way that I wrote the sentence sounds better to me, and feels weird with "being" substituted in, so let's agree to disagree.**

 ** _Fox McCloude_** **(Answered via PM): I'm glad that you find the story so engaging. And yes, having the two of them make up out of nowhere wouldn't be realistic. With how stubborn and prideful _both_ of them are? There'd be a better chance of Jessie, James and Meowth quitting Team Rocket. Brock is trying the best he can to patch them up, but he doesn't have a lot to work with on mending their "friendship."**

 **Also, as you know, my answer is yes to writing a translation. I'd love for others to be able to read my story.**

 ** _The Sinful_** **: Indeed he is. There's only so much that he can do, and he's accepted that frankly explaining Misty's position is the last thing that he can do.**

 ** _Bored321_** **: In order:**

 **1\. Thank you. Sorry about that, but I'm glad that it improved as it went on. It's the first time that I've written two "allies" that hate each other.**

 **2\. He doesn't. He just picked up on Ash's hesitance and the choice of words ("friend of a friend") and assumed the person in question was a girl Ash was "sweet on." Plus Ash said that "she" (Goldeen) would appreciate the seaweed and it reinforced that theory.**

 **3\. Yeah, Charmander doesn't complicate his life with "needless" thoughts. Besides, at the time, he had the more important task (to him) of weighing his chances against his teammates. Also, you've never had a moment where you absentmindedly do something? He was surrounded by food, so he was reaching for various items and eating them as he pondered his teammates. And yes, he still has a fear of being abandoned. That kind of thing doesn't go away overnight, especially with an expanding team. The only reason he's not more visibly scared is because it's only ten Pokémon so far to Damian's fifty.**

 **4\. Who says that Brock _did_ have the last word? The ride had stopped before the scene cut out, but the door wasn't open yet. Why do you think he looked sad, besides having to do something he didn't like?**

 **5\. There'll be something at the end of the chapter in regards to that.**

 ** _jaguarspot_** **: Meh, I've had worse losses of data. It was only a minor setback.**

 **Being abandoned once doesn't just go away overnight. It's arguable that Canon!Charmander didn't have much fear since his Trainer always kept a small team. But in here, the team is expanding, and there's a chance (in his eyes) that he could become obsolete.**

 **Delia had time before he called to cool down. There was also the fact that it was to save what was left of Hutber Port. She came to terms with it, and Ash was upfront with her about being unable to promise staying out of danger.**

 **Whoops. Fixed it.**

 ** _BrightNova169_** **: Your questions, in order:**

 **1\. James was put in a trance by the ghost maiden since his mind was wandering, while Brock had something to focus on, Ash and Misty.**

 **2\. Mankey, despite his power and training, hasn't actively battled all that much. Weezing and Fearow took out the hive of Beedrill in their pre-evolved states, while Ekans has years of travel with Jessie to explain her evolution.**

 **Also, there's one other thing—something that James has done that actually caused Mankey's evolution to be suppressed. Think about the only other Mankey that we've seen evolve onscreen, and ask yourself what the difference is.**

 **3\. That would be telling. :P We'll see.**

 **4\. TBH, I'm not sure. I plan ahead to an extent, but a lot of this is actually written by the seat of my pants. The only thing consistent about my style is that I don't write things out of nowhere, I build off what is already in the world.**

 **5\. Not a question, but thank you, anyway. :) It makes me happy for people to enjoy my stories.**

 ** _BbK2442_** **: Thank you, and probably. But he'll probably take it with more dignity than his canon self.**

 ** _Guest_** **(June 4th): Ash's current team is ten Pokémon, with Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Pidgeot, Squirtle, Horsea and Charmander with him. Rattata, Butterfree, Kingler and Tentacool are back at Professor Oak's.**

 ** _Guest_** **(June 7th): Hmm, that _is_ what I planned, but I doubt that Ash would outright say it at this point. He feels that Team Rocket is his responsibility, but won't stop Misty and Brock from training if they want to. The only reason he's actively challenging Misty to grow stronger is because he feels that hard work will make her a better person in the end.**

 ** _Guest_** **(June 12th): While your theory about his fighting style is likely true, I wouldn't vilify Gastly so much. He has to be centuries old, so his mindset is different. At this point, he's just entertaining himself, and nobody ever comes to serious harm. Like he said, he enjoys keeping the old legends alive, and the money is just a bonus. Not like he really needs it; he's a ghost.**

 **…Ever hear the phrase "Be careful what you wish for"?**

 ** _Guest_** **(June 15th): Fair point to that. Paul's fixation on inducing Chimchar's Blaze ability was not one of his finer points. That could be why he was having him battle in that state, considering that the type-boosting abilities activate at low health or great danger. Not that it makes it okay, but it was likely the reason.**

 **Also, as mentioned above to Bored321, there'll be a special note at the end of this chapter. It has to do with his statement about the length of this story's chapters.**

 ** _Guest_** **(June 25th): While that is true, exclusively for Red and Green/Blue, it's not true for all. Meanwhile Pikachu learning via TM (or in Anime Land, trial-and-error tutoring) applies to all versions of the game in the generations where Swift was a TM move.**

 ** _lordibau_** **(Chapter 21): While that is true, in this case, spineless refers to "cowardly." Horsea was calling the Tentacool and Tentacruel cowards for refusing to seek a peaceful alternative instead of immediately resorting to violence. He's a bit on the idealistic/optimistic side when it comes to pacifism.**

 ** _SeanicBlueBlur_** **(All answered via PM): Hi, so there are too many questions and other things to respond to them here in a timely manner, but thank you so much for reading my story.**

 ** _Guest_** **(July 7th; Chapter 20): Arrogance. Lots and lots of arrogance blinded her to her own shortcomings.**

 ** _Foxypaws3_** **: I'm glad you've enjoyed the story, and I'm sure you'll be happy to know that the new chapter's up. Also, thanks for the fave and follow.**

 **On the note of the letter Misty mentioned, it was the same note that was mentioned in Chapter 21. Ash's challenge letter, essentially.**

 **Now, on with the chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 23: Love From Beyond the Grave

Jessie and James wandered around looking for their Pokémon partner, wondering where he could be. James eventually called Zubat out and had her perched on Mankey's head to listen for him as they walked.

The Bat Pokémon's ears twitched as she tried to filter out the sounds of the festival to pick out the feline agent.

Eventually she picked something up from a mass of excited muttering and quietly giggled to herself, "[Noisy eater…]"

At Zubat's pointing, the two Rocket grunts looked to see a crowd gathering a distance away around a shrine. James thanked her and gave her a few sips of blood from the side of his arm to further her recovery before recalling her and rolling the sleeve over to hide the bite mark.

Jessie and James shouldered their way forward to search for Meowth while getting a better view of the events and found him near the front. They moved close to him while at the same time not acknowledging him as a few people were between the three of them. The disguised Pokémon didn't turn to face them either as he happily munched on taiyaki that he had in a bag held by one of his fake hands with a bottle of Ramune sticking out of his pocket.

Speaking in low tones that only a trained ninja or Pokémon of finely tuned hearing would be able to pick up through the clamor of the crowd, Jessie gave him a briefing on their current decision and let him know to meet back at the balloon that night while she and James took care of resupplying. She also gave him a method of signaling her if he'd heard.

The Pokémon didn't respond or give any indication that her words had gone through, but simply let out a delighted hum as he finished off another fish-shaped treat while dusting off his gloved hand to take the Ramune from his coat pocket. He took a swig of the carbonated beverage, as Jessie had instructed, letting her know that the message had been received.

Jessie then lightly tapped James in the side of his arm to let him know that Meowth had the plan. But they couldn't leave after going to so much effort to get to the front without looking suspicious.

An elderly man in formal robes at the top of the shrine's steps stood in front of an object covered in a veil and began holding up his hands for silence.

* * *

Ash looked at his still despondent friend before nudging him as the caretaker of the shrine called for attention. Since he'd managed to get there early, his Pokémon were gathered around his feet, even Pidgeot having stopped in to see what the crowd was there for.

"Brock, he's about to start," he quietly reminded. It at least got Brock to look up as the man cleared his throat.

"Welcome. To celebrate the Summer's End festival, we will now display the Shrine of the Maiden's greatest treasure," he announced. "For two thousand years, this painting has hung within the Shrine of the Maiden. Once each year, it is removed from the shrine and displayed to the public during this festival."

The man grabbed onto the veil with one hand, "As I unveil the painting, please gaze with reverence." Pulling it off with a dramatic flourish the cloth swept to the side before getting caught on the wind.

Ash and his Pokémon marveled at the image on the painting, even Charmander being impressed at the detail in the art while not ordinarily appreciating such things.

Brock, however, quietly gasped, "It's her… but… it can't be."

"'Her' who?" the Pallet Trainer asked curiously, bringing his friend's attention back to him. Ash took another look at the painting, seeing a sad-eyed woman in a white dress standing with her hair and dress billowing in the wind and her hands clasped before her. A flower was in her hair, but the monochrome art style prevented the specific color from being known.

Still, he blinked as he took a closer look, thinking, 'Wait, didn't I see someone like that at the Ferris wheel?'

But before either could comment, a black-haired teen with his hair tied back absently shoved his way past them, muttering, "She's the girl of my dreams; don't wake me up."

The caretaker lightly pushed the approaching boy back with one hand, "Stay back!"

Then he gestured to the painting while explaining, "The woman in this painting perished over two thousand years ago. She was in love with a brave and handsome young man, but he left her and sailed away to fight in a war. 'I'll wait for you forever!' she said. 'Come back to me! Farewell!'"

Charmander frowned slightly at that detail. It hit a little too close to home for him. He flinched slightly in surprise when a hand grabbed his and saw Pikachu glancing at him with a questioning expression, silently asking if he was all right. The Fire-type nodded back and pulled his hand away, "[I'm fine.]"

"And she did wait, for a very long time," the caretaker continued, "hoping to see his ship on the horizon. But her true love never returned to that place again. Still she waited and waited, never moving from that spot, until finally her body was turned into stone, just like the cliff upon which she stood. To this day, she waits for her love to return."

Brock stepped forward, "Tell me, where is this rock?"

The elderly man simply gestured towards the back of the shrine and said, "Maiden's Rock is not far from this shrine."

Ash followed Brock with his Pokémon to the other side of the building and passed some trees before reaching the end of the cliff where some safety rails stood. Past them, a statue appearing built into a tall spire stuck out of the water and extended above the cliff. The detailed portion itself was only about as tall as a person and resembled the maiden in the painting perfectly, aside from the flower missing.

Staring at it, the Pallet Trainer tentatively asked, "Brock, you mentioned a girl at the dock?"

"You'd think I'm crazy," Brock dismissed. "Maybe I _am_ crazy."

Snorting, Ash crossed his arms and said, "Then I must be crazy too, because I could've sworn I saw the same lady in that painting at the Ferris wheel car before I got in."

"What?!" the breeder replied in shock.

* * *

"I don't care if she's made of stone; I'm still in love with her!" James proclaimed as he reached out to the stone likeness of the maiden from the other side of the shrine. "Nobody would ever steal her from me, not even Team Rocket! I'd _fight_ them to keep her safe!"

"James, you're insane. Why would we want to steal a thing like _that_?" Jessie deadpanned while keeping a hand on her partner and counterbalancing his weight with her own. He had insisted that they come to see Maiden's Rock, and Meowth had tagged along once the crowd dispersed.

Meowth had a few taiyaki snacks left in his hand and spoke up with a full mouth, "mm-We _could_ scheal dat otha fing."

"What thing?" Jessie asked while turning to the feline agent.

The Scratch Cat Pokémon swallowed and held up two fingers of his free glove with a grin, his sunglasses seeming to glint in the setting sun, "Pokémon are valuable, but so're works of art. Let's swipe da painting!"

He popped the rest of his food into his mouth as Jessie pumped her fist with a smirk and said, "If we grab that painting, we could make a bundle."

With that decided, she hauled James back from the rail and deposited him on the ground roughly. He looked up from his sitting position and she commanded, "Change of plans. We resupply and then camp by the shrine to steal the painting at midnight."

* * *

Ash and Brock had just finished comparing stories and pondered over what it could mean.

"That man said that the ghost of the maiden is still waiting for her true love to come back," Brock speculated. "Do you think that she's mistaken me for him?"

"I don't know, but we should find Misty and get out of here," Ash decided. "No offense, but the truce was pretty much doomed from the start, so there's no point in staying around, especially since she broke it by storming off."

"None taken, but that might not be as easy as you think," the breeder replied. "I tried to talk with her, and she didn't take what I had to say very well."

Ash raised an eyebrow, "What makes it worse than all the other times with me?"

"She yelled that she didn't need me and then stormed off," Brock answered, his mood seeming to dip again.

"She'll be back," the Pallet Trainer answered confidently. "Maybe not until the end of the festival, heck, maybe not till even later. But you can count on her to come back. I mean, knowing you, you were trying to help her."

"That's a high opinion of me you have," his friend noted.

Ash shrugged, "Have you ever _not_ tried to help? Anyway, she'll cool off. If nothing else, she'll come back to trail me with her rivalry. I still think we should clear out as soon as possible if we want to avoid this ghost, though."

He looked to Pidgeot, "Pidgeot, go flying around and see if you can find Misty. Check by the water first."

* * *

'No… That won't do at all. I can't have one of my targets leaving. I need both to stay until at least tonight. But this is good. The two of them believe it's real. Now I need a story for them to tell.'

'The girl hasn't seen the maiden, has she?'

* * *

Misty sat on one of the piers as Goldeen ate the ogonori floating in the sea water. Staryu and Starmie were floating nearby as well, already back from foraging on the ocean floor.

While she hated to use Ash's gift, all three of her Pokémon needed all the strength they could get.

'I've been too soft with my training. I've already polished up the moves they have, it's time to start with some new ones.'

Ever since she started training on the ferry to Maiden's Peak, she'd managed to upgrade Goldeen's Horn Attack to Fury Attack and all three Pokémon's Water Gun to Bubble Beam. But she'd never beat Ash with the same strategy, and without Brock on her side, she couldn't count on her rival sticking around for long. He was right when he said that Ash could just fly away at any time. She would need to start preparing more offensive moves in order to win before she lost his trail.

Granted, she could track him to Pallet Town or the regional championships, but that would be months down the line. And who knew what Pokémon Ash would pick up between now and then?

"Goldeen, Goldeen!"

Misty looked down and saw that her Pokémon had finished her dinner and was looking up at her. Staryu and Starmie also stood up with their signature cries.

She nodded, "All right, time for some serious training!"

Up above, Pidgeot was unnoticed as she gave instructions to her Pokémon. The Flying-type confirmed her location before flying back towards his own Trainer.

The redhead turned to Goldeen, "You've got some good physical moves, but we need to get you started on water manipulation. Surf seems a bit too much to pull off for now, so we'll start you on Waterfall. Once you can get that, Surf is just a matter of increasing power."

Thinking back to her tutoring on Water Pokémon and their moves, Misty instructed, "Focus on channeling the water into a stream and swim up it for a physical attack. Those are the mechanics behind the move, but you'll need to learn to control the water yourself." Then Misty smiled, "I know you've got it in you, so just do your best."

"[Right,]" the Goldfish Pokémon nodded before diving under the water and swimming further out to sea in order to have space to practice.

"Staryu, our last battle showed that you can't always count on flight to evade attacks, so we'll have to work on you becoming a smaller target," the Gym Leader continued. "Minimize should do it, but I don't know quite how the move works. Try concentrating on shrinking and becoming denser and see if that works."

"[Got it!]" the Star-Shaped Pokémon enthusiastically replied before spinning off to a short distance away in the air.

Misty turned to her remaining Pokémon, "Starmie, a lot of the moves Staryu will be learning aren't available to you anymore since you're already evolved. We'll start working on making you more versatile instead."

"[Very well,]" the Mysterious Pokémon hummed. "[What first, then?]"

"I'd like to teach you Thunderbolt, but I don't even know where to start on that, and I wouldn't want you to use it this close to the water where Goldeen is training," the redhead explained. "Ice Beam should be easier to figure out since water and ice are pretty similar, and it'll be good against Grass-types. I'll help you with figuring it out, so let's get to it."

"Um, excuse me…"

Misty grunted in surprise and turned to see a woman with light purple hair down to her waist with a red camellia nestled at the side of her head in the locks. She wore a plain white dress and matching flats and didn't seem to have any bags, which meant that she was likely a local.

"This town doesn't let people train in the harbor," she gently informed. "There's only one, and ships could come in at any time."

"Huh?" Misty asked while Starmie hovered over her shoulder. "Then where am I supposed to train?"

"There's an inlet further to the south that I can show you," the lady replied while beckoning for Misty to follow. "This way."

The Gym Leader raised an eyebrow, but shouldered her backpack and called Goldeen back from the water.

* * *

"Are you sure she was right here, Pidgeot?"

The Bird Pokémon was hovering in the air with gentle wing flaps and nodded while looking around the harbor for Misty. The Trainer had recalled the rest of his Pokémon and carried Pikachu on his shoulder. Brock stood nearby as well since Ash had refused to split up to search for Misty with the ghost appearing to be after his friend.

He scratched the side of his head, "Maybe she noticed you and moved. Looks like she doesn't want to be found right now." Ash looked at the sun about to disappear over the horizon, "And it's getting late. Even if we find her, it won't be long before it's dark."

"What should we do, then?" Brock asked.

"Hmm… Well, we _could_ leave anyway," the Pallet Trainer speculated. "But the ghost might catch her. I don't really _like_ Misty, but I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

'Except maybe Team Rocket,' he internally added.

"Pidgeot, keep looking around, but if you don't find her by nighttime, come back to the Pokémon Center by the port," Ash instructed. "We'll leave the window open for you."

"Pidgeo!" the Flying-type dutifully replied before flying off.

"There's nothing left for us to do but wait in our room," the Trainer told Brock. "I'm not sure what's going on here, but if we have our Pokémon outside, it should be harder for the ghost to sneak in."

The breeder nodded, and they returned to the hospital building, getting a room for the night. The duo waited in the lobby after Pidgeot's return until curfew, but Misty still didn't come back, unsettling Brock. Regardless, the resident Nurse Joy insisted that the two of them go to bed, leaving no room for argument.

As Ash said, he released all of his Pokémon save Horsea to sleep in the room with him and Brock for extra ears out. Pikachu and Pidgeot had extra keen hearing and vigilance, respectively, so he was confident that if the ghost came, they'd know about it.

* * *

Team Rocket slept in the trees, hidden among the branches and suspended upright in some sleeping bags as they rested in preparation for their mission. They had already re-supplied their balloon for their getaway and were just biding their time until midnight.

James had been notably distant-minded, but the mission seemed to keep him focused long enough to do his part.

A beeping alarm went off from Meowth's smaller sleeping bag and he wrestled one of his paws free from the confines, holding a battery-powered clock.

"What time is it…?" he groggily mumbled while checking with half-lidded eyes. Once his vision cleared, he snapped to full attention and called to his partners, "Wake up! Time ta steal da painting! Wake up, you two!"

Jessie started stirring while James simply mumbled, "Beautiful… I must meet you. I'm coming to you…"

The wind suddenly picked up, causing Meowth's bag to sway as he yelled in surprise. Meanwhile, the chill woke Jessie up fully and James remained asleep.

"What's going on?!" the female agent demanded in a hushed tone.

Dark clouds eclipsed the moon, making the night seem even darker and the doors to the shrine slammed open. Jessie and Meowth stared quietly as the wind suddenly stopped. With utter silence, a figure emerged from the shrine, causing the feline agent to squint and lean closer from his sleeping bag.

"What's dat?"

A woman was floating above the shrine's doorstep and had no visible feet underneath her dress. Her color was nonexistent, leaving her clothes, skin and hair gray, and her eyes were only black spots in the shape of the former organs. Most noticeably, her entire body was emitting an ethereal glow, allowing her to be seen in the darkened night. Meowth yelped as he realized what he was looking at.

"G-g-ghost!" he muttered with a tremble.

Jessie stared in disbelief, "It's the r-real ghost of the maiden!"

Unfortunately, their conversation was picked up and the woman turned to them with her black eyes in a sad expression. Waves seemed to emanate off her and the two criminals stared for a moment before becoming dazed and slumping over.

"Must be dreamin'…" Meowth muttered.

Jessie replied, "Back to my beauty sleep…"

"Meooowwth…"

The ghost floated up to their tree, "My love, I'm waiting for you…"

James slowly woke up, "Ugh… Who said that?" He looked down and saw the maiden smile at him. Gasping, he leaned towards her, "It's you! So it really _was_ you."

* * *

Charmander looked around, not recognizing the place he was standing. Everywhere was dark, and the only source of light was his tail, which illuminated a patch of dirt road below him bordered by grass.

Not knowing where he was, the Fire-type moved forward, vaguely wondering why he was there. After a while, he got tired of his swinging tail moving his shadow around, so he grabbed it and held it forward in one hand to better see his way.

After a while of making his way forward, Charmander heard faint sobbing. Raising an eyebrow, he picked up his pace slightly. While he was probably just as lost as the person he heard, he couldn't ignore them in good conscience.

The sobbing got louder as he got closer and saw Poké Balls on the ground. Once he got close enough he saw a figure bitterly crying on his knees as he cradled a Poké Ball.

"Charmander… I'm… I'm sorry…"

He took a hissing breath at the familiar voice out of shock and moved closer, stretching the tail in his hand further forward to illuminate them. Sure enough, it was Damian—the Damian that he knew before. He didn't remember an apology, but apparently his mind did.

This was the day. Not their first loss – they'd had some close battles before and been on the wrong side of luck – but the first day that they'd been totally defeated. He'd been brutally beaten up as Damian's last Pokémon, but kept trying to fight to bring down his opponent.

Eyes widening, Charmander wheeled around and saw another familiar figure. A cold, blue light seemed to glow from behind them, making a silhouette, but obscuring the details.

Charmander's tail flame blazed slightly larger in anger, "[ _You_!]"

The figure scoffed, "Pathetic. You couldn't even defeat _one_ of mine. If that's all the power your Pokémon have, you might as well give up now. You'll never make it as a Trainer."

He turned around at a cracking sound and Damian was gone, replaced by three pieces of a broken Pokédex, the cover, and the two halves of the main device.

Everything around him seemed to blur, even the light cast by his flame and he found himself curled up on an all-too-familiar spot. A specific rock in the middle of the woods, still at night.

Charmander tried to move, to leave and find Ash, but only his body lurched slightly. He couldn't move his arms, legs or tail from their curled up position. Looking down, his eyes widened as he saw stone creeping over him like a second skin. His limbs were already immobilized and his flame was snuffed out as it reached the tip of his tail.

Somehow, he was still alive as the petrification continued to spread and started calling out for help, "[Ash! Ash, help me!]"

It suddenly spread up to his mouth, clamping it closed and muffling him.

"[Wake up!]"

Charmander's eyes snapped open and he saw Pikachu and Bulbasaur right in front of him. A vine was wrapped around his mouth, keeping it closed. He looked around the room and noticed Pidgeot with his eyes open too, still standing near the corner of the room. Squirtle, Ash and Brock were all still asleep, the Water-type curled into his shell.

"[You were having a nightmare and looked about ready to spit fire,]" the Seed Pokémon explained. "[Are you calm now?]"

The Fire-type closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths through his nostrils, repeating to himself, 'Just a dream. Just a dream…' Opening them again, he nodded and the vine retracted into Bulbasaur's bulb.

"[Thanks,]" he replied after sitting up to massage his jaw. The Fire-type also subconsciously rubbed his arms, taking comfort that he could feel the light scratching of his claws.

Pikachu looked on with concern, "[You were muttering calls for Ash. Do you want to talk about it?]"

"[It was just that stupid story,]" Charmander dismissed. "[It's no big deal.]" He decided to leave out the details. No need for them to know his fears.

"[It's a big deal to _us_ ,]" Pikachu insisted. "[We're your friends.]"

Bulbasaur suspected what the root of Charmander's issue was, but kept silent about it. He'd seen Melanie handle similar cases with Pokémon that came and went at the village, and Charmander needed to come to trust them on his own. But that didn't mean he couldn't nudge him in that direction.

Instead, he said, "[I think I know what you were dreaming about. Remember that you're not waiting at that rock anymore. You're stuck with us and Ash, so you'd better get used to it.]"

Charmander smiled slightly, both at Bulbasaur's reassurance and playful jab. Even if he guessed part of the dream, it wasn't the part the Fire-type was most worried about getting found out. He replied, "[Good. I hate waiting.]"

"[Consider me not surprised,]" the Seed Pokémon snorted.

Pikachu pouted since he could tell his teammates were both steering the subject away from the matter at hand, Charmander was hiding something about his dream. While the Electric-type expected it from him, he was surprised that Bulbasaur danced around the issue with his usual knack for being direct and to the point. Still, he was willing to admit that the Seed Pokémon had a lot more experience in dealing with other Pokémon from his time as the village guardian and trusted his judgment on how to handle this.

'I'll drop it, for now,' he decided.

Pidgeot, meanwhile, had maintained his watch from his position, allowing him to keep an eye on both the door and the window, even if they were locked. A soft light caught his eye and he looked towards the window to see a glowing woman float straight through as if it wasn't there.

"[INTRUDER AT THE WINDOW!]" he squawked at the top of his lungs.

The rest of Ash's Pokémon immediately wheeled around as Squirtle shot awake and popped out of his shell to stand up. Ash and Brock also started waking up from the loud noise.

Unfortunately, since they were all looking at the woman, they all saw the hypnotic waves that she released. Some of them tried closing their eyes to avoid the move, but the damage had already been done. The Pokémon fell asleep one after the other, Pidgeot holding out the longest before falling forward unconscious as well.

Ash had barely been opening his eyes when the ghostly woman hovered over him and softly covered his eyes as if closing them. Hit with a fresh wave of drowsiness, the Pallet Trainer fell back to sleep with little struggle.

Brock was fully awake now and saw the woman by Ash's bed with all of his Pokémon passed out.

"Ash! Wake up! The ghost of the maiden is here!" Brock called with no effect.

"I've been waiting for you, for such a long time…" a soft, echoing voice said as the woman turned around to face him.

Brock backed away in his bed as the ghost of the maiden drew closer, "Wait, that was two thousand years ago. I'm not the person you think I am."

The maiden smiled, "I have been waiting…"

The breeder felt himself being drawn in the longer he looked at her and everything went dark after a while.

* * *

When Ash and his Pokémon woke up in the morning, the Pallet Trainer immediately moved for a search when he found that Brock was gone. Recalling his other Pokémon and switching out Horsea for Rattata, he had the Mouse Pokémon pick up his friend's scent from the abandoned vest and backpack left behind.

Once outside the now open window, Rattata picked up a trail by sniffing the air and started leading Ash and Pikachu along.

* * *

"James? James!" Jessie called around the shrine. "If you're _not_ here, at least come out and tell us!"

"Dat's right!" Meowth added.

The two agents were already disappointed that they'd managed to sleep through their mission, but James missing on top of that was just the cherry on top of the night's disaster. If they had Zubat, they could probably track him, but the Bat Pokémon was with James.

Jessie already had Fearow searching around the festival, and Arbok tunneling back to the balloon's hiding place to make sure that James hadn't returned there.

Another voice spoke up, "The shrine! Please be here, Brock, and not trapped in the painting…!"

The Rocket duo turned the corner of the building just in time to see Ash, Pikachu and Rattata arrive. Both parties lurched away at spotting each other, Jessie glaring at Ash while Meowth and Rattata bristled at each other.

"You again!" Ash growled as Pikachu sparked threateningly from his position next to his Trainer.

Jessie leaned forward aggressively, "I finally found you." Then she turned away, eyes shut in frustration, "Oh, wait a minute! _You're_ not the one I'm looking for!"

"Wait, you're looking for someone too?" Ash asked with a raised eyebrow. Then he noticed that James was missing, "Where's-"

"Ah-h-hem!" Jessie interrupted. "Prepare for trouble!

" _And make it double!_ " she added in a deeper voice, to Ash and his Pokémon's bewilderment. Jessie rolled her eyes at the ruined effect of the motto, muttering, "Oh, doing this by myself is such a drag…"

Regardless, she span back dramatically, as if James was behind her doing the same, "To protect the world from devastation!"

She rushed to move to the opposite position and held up a red rose while facing to the left, " _To unite all peoples within our nation!_ "

The female agent flipped positions again, mirroring her previous direction, "To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!" a familiar voice loopily added.

She blinked in surprise, "Jessie?"

"James!"

Both Ash and Jessie started looking around as the latter cupped her hands and called, "Uh, Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now…" James flew out of the shrine doors as they burst open, "…or prepare to _fiiiiiight_!" His instincts only carried him as far as saying the line, which resulted in him crashing to the ground in front of the steps.

Jessie looked down in mild shock, "He looks awful!"

Brock fell beside James shortly afterward, having dazedly wandered out of the shrine and fallen down the steps, missing his vest and wearing only his orange shirt with his usual outfit. Both had dazed grins on their faces and were babbling incoherently.

"Brock!" Ash called with relief, helping him to sit up. "Pull yourself together!"

James absently hugged Jessie's leg, causing her to shake him back and forth by the collar, "What do you think you're doing?! And what's with wandering off last night?!"

A reedy voice spoke up, "Everything happened just as I predicted."

Ash, Jessie and the Pokémon of the group looked to see the same old woman that had visited them before.

"Obviously, these two have both seen the ghost of the maiden," she continued.

At the mention of said ghost, both the adolescent males excitedly babbled about how much they loved her and hugged each other, obviously hallucinating.

Ash pulled Brock from James and held him up in front of Pikachu, "Pikachu, see if you can zap him to his senses."

Unfortunately, Ash forgot to let go of Brock and got shocked as well by Pikachu's Thunder Shock. Regardless, he managed to keep his shout to a muffled groan by clamping his teeth shut and shook off the aftereffects almost immediately.

"[Sorry…]" Pikachu muttered sheepishly.

"I think I'm getting more and more used to getting shocked," Ash mused. "Could come in handy. More importantly," he turned Brock around, "Brock, are you okay?"

"Brock… I'm Brock," the breeder muttered before his eyes seemed to clear. "Ash? What happened? Where are we?"

"You were taken by the ghost," Ash explained. "Good to have you back."

Jessie realized that breaking the trance through pain was the best chance they had without some sort of mental cleanser and turned to Meowth, "Meowth, see what you can do. I'd do it myself, but we want him awake and not amnesiac. Too many blows to the head might do more harm than good."

Meowth popped out his claws as James was hugging himself, "Fury Swipes!"

James cried out in pain as Meowth mauled his face and general upper body. Meanwhile, Jessie put two fingers to her lips and sharply whistled. Moments later, Fearow and Arbok returned from the sky and ground, respectively.

"Get the first aid kit from the balloon," she instructed. "We'll need it."

 ** _"Arbok, the Cobra_ _Pokémon. The evolved form of Ekans. Transfixing prey with the face-like pattern on its belly, it binds and poisons the frightened victim._ _"_**

Jessie glared at Ash, who didn't do anything besides glare back and pocket his Pokédex.

As her Pokémon departed again, Meowth let up his assault long enough to demand, "Who are ya?"

James irritably replied, "I'm James, of Team Rocket!" Then he shoved Meowth off to stand up and turn to his teammates, "What's the big idea? We go to sleep early for a mission, and I wake up to find that my face is more scratches than skin!"

"If you'll follow me inside, I can explain," the old woman prompted as she walked past the group into the shrine doors.

Jessie and Ash glared at each other, and the agent begrudgingly said, " _Temporary_ truce until we figure out this mess?"

"Better believe it's temporary," Ash shortly replied while handing Brock his lost items and recalling Rattata.

Jessie's Pokémon arrived moments later with Arbok holding the medical kit in her jaws and Fearow warily glaring at Ash until Jessie recalled them.

Once everybody was seated inside, and James had his face bandaged up with only his eyes exposed, the old woman began her story as she faced a flame in the shrine's floor-built fireplace.

"Every time during this festival, a handful of men fall under her spell. It's always the same story every year. We find them here, acting like zombies with the life sucked out of them, babbling like idiots." **(1)**

She turned around to face them, "It's the work of that maiden's ghost, still waiting for her young soldier to return. It's just as I warned you."

James shuddered, the thought of the maiden being after him digging up unpleasant memories. He turned to Jessie and Meowth, his voice muffled by the bandages, "What do we do?"

"Why don't we just leave?" Jessie suggested. "If that ghost of the maiden was waiting all this time, it probably won't leave just for us, and we're not _paid_ to ghostbust festivals."

Ash scoffed, "Big surprise."

"Say whatcha want, twoip," Meowth retorted. "Da fact is dat ghost is _your_ problem, not ours. We were just enjoyin' da festival before all dis. There ain't a profit ta be made here."

James leaned close and whispered, "What about the painting?"

"If that ghost really does exist, its painting is probably haunted too," Jessie whispered back. "Let's leave it."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," the old lady replied. "Once the maiden has picked a target, she will relentlessly pursue any that try to leave."

"Well, she has _two_ targets right now, so she'll have to pick one or the other," Jessie countered. She threw James over her shoulder, much to his surprise, and grabbed Meowth in her free hand, "Truce over! Ta-ta!"

The Rocket agent sprinted off with her teammates, barging the door open with her leg during her escape.

Ash rolled his eyes, "We'll probably see them later." Then he addressed the old woman, "If you've been dealing with this ghost for a while, do you have anything that can protect Brock against her? From what you said, we just need to defend him this last night and she'll be gone for another year."

"There is one way," she confirmed as she held up a stack of paper slips with intricate symbols on them. "These are anti-ghost stickers. However…"

The Trainer raised an eyebrow, "What's the catch?"

The old woman pulled out a cash register from nearby and opened it, "I can't just give these stickers away for _free_ …"

Ash sighed and stood up to look inside the register's drawer, "Doesn't look like you take Pokédex credits either… All right, I had to stop back at the town to buy some supplies anyway. I'll get some cash and come back to buy a few sets."

All five of Ash's other Poké Balls flew out into the shrine and released their Pokémon, leaving his full team looking up at him.

"You all stand guard. While I don't think the ghost would come out during the day, we can't be too careful after last night," he instructed. "Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charmander, you're guarding Brock directly in here. Pidgeot, stick to the roof for a good view. Rattata, you're on patrol outside. Call Pidgeot and investigate if you pick up any weird smells."

He looked around to the replying nods and said, "I wanted to avoid this, but since it's happening anyway, we'll face that ghost head-on."

Holding his arm out for Pikachu to climb up, Ash left the shrine while Pidgeot and Rattata exited as well to take their posts. Squirtle, Charmander and Bulbasaur took up a triangle formation around Brock, facing outward for any threats as they sat down.

* * *

Team Rocket floated away on their balloon, James removing the bandages and checking his face with a mirror borrowed from Jessie as she steered the balloon.

He glared in annoyance at the red marks left on his face and said, "These had better be gone by the evening, Meowth, or you can kiss your favorite meal goodbye for the foreseeable future."

"Aw, c'mon!" Meowth protested. "I'd expect dat from Jessie!"

James turned around while Jessie scowled at the crack to her. The male agent looked hardly placated, "My face is one of my most valuable assets. A charming voice won't work without it. You think _this_ face could've pulled in all those recruits at the Underground Tournament?"

"Mmph, I _guess_ not," the feline Pokémon muttered.

"We'll see how things work out," James decided. "In the meantime, _I_ am going to apply some more disinfectant to hopefully heal this up. Next time I'm under some sort of trance, do me a favor and have Gyarados hose me with a light Hydro Pump. It'd get the same results with a lot less fuss."

Jessie remained silent for a moment before saying, "Do you want to borrow my moisturizer?"

Her partner looked surprised at the offer, "Didn't you tell Meowth and I at the beginning of our partnership 'touch them and you die' in regards to your cosmetics?"

"It's not for you," she countered. "It's in the team's best interest that all of your skills are at one hundred percent. Disinfect, wipe the excess off with sterile gauze and apply the moisturizer. Your skin should heal up much fresher at a faster pace."

"Well, thanks anyway," James replied. "Meowth, take over the controls while we fix me up."

* * *

Ash sat in the shrine with his Pokémon recalled back into their balls, save Pikachu as usual. Once he got back, there was little point to having them out since they were waiting for the ghost of the maiden anyway. This gave them the chance to rest after lunch.

Buying three sets of stickers, Ash put them over the walls and roof of the shrine and had Pikachu put several over Brock himself. Night fell shortly after, and Ash waited in hiding while the old woman waved a ceremonial tool around to (according to her) ward off evil.

After a while, the wind started roaring outside, causing the branches of the nearby trees to rustle, setting Ash on edge. The only warning he got was a shout of, "She's here!"

The doors of the shrine burst open with a roar of wind, the ethereal woman at the center of it as she hovered just outside the doorway. All of the stickers blew right off of Brock, rendering them useless, and the fire went out.

"I've been waiting for you," the maiden said with a smile.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded as he sprung out of his hiding place, holding his arm out for Pikachu to run down it and leap forward.

The Electric-type charged his electricity and fired it as he flew through the air, "Pikaaaa-CHUUUU!"

A hole appeared in her body, allowing the large bolt of electricity to pass through her. The only sign that she had registered Ash's presence was her smile changing to a more neutral expression that made her sad eyes more foreboding.

Ash ran forward and barred the way between her and Brock, "You caught us off guard last time, but we're ready to fight now!"

The maiden raised a hand, and Ash was thrown back by an invisible wave of force, along with Pikachu, rolling along the ground with a crash.

"Ash!" Brock called out before the same force seized him. Floating up into the air with quite a bit of useless struggling, the maiden started floating back out with Brock in tow.

Ash straightened his hat and scrambled forward, moving from all fours to his feet as he chased after them, his Pokémon right behind him. He noticed the maiden leading Brock towards her statue and reached into his back pocket.

"Not so fast!" he called while holding something in his left hand and flicking his right hand forward.

The maiden's eyes widened as she recognized what was coming for her and dropped Brock to wave her hand and blow the projectile away with a gust of wind. An anti-ghost sticker fluttered to the ground, and the ghost stared at it before leveling a look at Ash, who helped Brock up with his free hand and moved in front of him. ( **2)**

Ash held a thin stack of the slips in his left hand, "There were a few extra after I was done ghost-proofing the shrine. And it looks like you can only use one ability at a time—wind or moving things, but not both."

"I've been waiting," she stated, her eyes narrowing in anger as she spoke. "You _cannot_ interfere."

The wind stirred up again as the maiden's hair started blowing in a flurry of motion. Ash held onto the stickers and his hat as he braced himself and heard cackling behind him. Whipping around, he saw green floating skulls on long necks emerge from the trees.

Ash incredulously took out his Pokédex to try getting information, "What are those?!"

Dexter blinked with a red light, **_"Spectral energy detected. No Pokémon entry found."_ (3)**

Ash tsked in frustration and passed his Pokédex to Brock while taking more of the stickers and throwing them out as the ghosts surged forward, aiming for the ones coming closest to them. Those that he managed to hit screeched and vanished in a puff of green vapor, but the Trainer could only throw them so fast and pulled Brock lower to the ground as some flew over their heads.

At that point, from jostling Brock's arm and pointing Dexter in a different direction, the device announced, **_"Still searching…"_**

While Ash dealt with the ghosts, Brock pointed Dexter in different directions and eventually it pinged when aimed at the ghost of the maiden, catching Ash's attention. An image of a dark purple sphere of vapor with eyes and a mouth surrounded by a lighter purple aura appeared onscreen.

 ** _"Pokémon entry found. Gastly, a Ghost Pokémon. It is usually invisible. Its specialty is illusions and hypnosis."_** **(4)**

"Gastly?" Ash wondered as the floating skulls started gathering around the maiden and circling her. "The ghost of the maiden is a Pokémon?"

"So you finally figured it out," the ghost said. "Sometimes I'm the ghost of the two-thousand-year-old maiden…" Her figure blurred until she appeared as the same old woman that had warned them, still floating in the air, "And sometimes I'm the mysterious old woman! But no matter what the disguise, I'll always be…"

Her body became a white and purple vapor trail flying around as the ghost skulls merged into the mass. A purple twister formed of the combined forms and disappeared to reveal Gastly.

"…awfully _ghastly_ ," the Pokémon finished in a deep male voice contrasting his two disguises.

Ash frowned at being tricked, holding up the remaining anti-ghost stickers, "Well, Gastly, time for a battle!"

"Pi- _ka_!" Pikachu agreed while stepping forward.

Gastly grinned, "My illusions work on other Pokémon, too, _including_ little rodents."

"[ _Rodent_?]" Pikachu repeated in anger.

The Ghost Pokémon flew forward, "Stop a rodent…" In a poof of light purple smoke, he transformed into a giant mousetrap with cheese on it, "…with a mousetrap!"

Pikachu's eyes widened as the giant item snapped towards him, but he calmed down and blurred away, many copies of him appearing with Double Team to surround Gastly's transformed body.

"Afterimages?" the ghost's voice asked from inside the mousetrap. "A cheap knockoff compared to my powers. Let's see you resist my _magnetic_ charm!" With another small poof, the cheese was replaced with an electromagnet, causing all of the doppelgangers to disappear and pulling the real Pikachu towards the trap.

Ash ran forward and dove to keep his Pokémon from the trap, holding up one of the stickers towards it as he did so. With a grunt of pain, Gastly was forced out of his transformed state.

"So that's what these do…" the Pallet Trainer muttered as he backed away with Pikachu in his arm, "they get rid of illusions." He frowned at Gastly, "Why would you give us something that actually hurt you?"

"Oh, what's the fun in making the game too easy?" the Pokémon asked in reply.

Ash growled again and put Pikachu on his shoulder to take out another Poké Ball, "Pidgeot, Whirlwind!"

The Bird Pokémon emerged and furiously beat his wings.

"You should fly south, bird," Gastly smugly noted as he transformed. He emerged as a white-haired man in deep blue cloth robes with a blue nose and a shepherd's crook, "Winter is coming!"

Sucking in a majority of Pidgeot's wind, the man's gut ballooned before he blew it back out as a frosty gale. The Flying-type shivered violently, ice forming on his wings as he dropped towards the ground.

"Uh-oh! Pidgeot, return!" Ash called, the beam connecting right before his Pokémon hit the concrete.

Brock stepped forward, "My turn. Zubat, go!" He figured that it would be too easy to overpower his Rock-types with water, especially considering they were right near the ocean, so he went with his third Pokémon.

Gastly laughed as the Bat Pokémon materialized, "Is this supposed to be a joke? Too easy!" He transformed into a chalkboard with iron nails floating alongside it.

Ash's eyes widened and he grabbed Pikachu to cover his ears as the nails began scraping down the surface in a terrible screech. After the first pass, the nails climbed back up and began moving all around, altering the pitch and beat. Even with Ash's hands muffling the noise, Pikachu still shuddered because of his keen ears while Ash received the full brunt and screwed his face tight in pain.

Zubat had dropped to the ground, convulsing and clearly in no condition to battle. Brock lifted one of his hands from his head to hold the Poké Ball forward and return his Pokémon.

The Ghost Pokémon reassumed his natural form, " _Now_ who shall I defeat?"

Ash growled, handing the stickers to Pikachu to free up his other hand and hold up three Poké Balls in both.

"Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbasaur! Attack together!" he commanded while throwing the spheres forward.

The starter trio emerged and faced down their opponent.

"Really, now?" Gastly asked with a raised eyebrow. "I suppose it's only fair I even out the battlefield." He flew around while leaving a massive cloud of purple fog.

Three massive Pokémon stepped out, one squat on all fours and blue-green with a pink flower on its back, another a massive blue tortoise with cannons sticking out of two hatches in its shell, and the last an orange bipedal dragon with teal on the inside of its wings and a flame on its tail. Ash's Pokémon stared wide-eyed at the new Pokémon.

"Allow me to present these Pokémon's evolved forms: Venusaur, Blastoise and Charizard," Gastly announced. The Pokémon then became blurred and intangible as they slid closer to each other. "And just for fun, I'm going to combine them into one super Pokémon."

In a white flash, the fusion was complete. The result looked mostly like Charizard, retaining its skin color, but with a wider brow, red eyes and shell armor over its sleek body. Its arms were bulkier too, and had wart-like protrusions on them. In one hand it held Venusaur's flower like a shield and the other possessed a bazooka reminiscent of Blastoise's cannon. Its wings were much wider and had changed from teal to the same brown of Blastoise's shell, hinting that they were much tougher. On the end of its tail, a multicolored orange, green and blue flame burned.

"Meet Blastrisaur!" Gastly gleefully introduced as Ash's Pokémon screamed in terror.

But an anti-ghost sticker flew in from the side and stuck to the Pokémon fusion's arm. With a sizzling at the contact, Gastly yelped as the illusion broke and the paper fluttered to the ground with him in his true form.

"Now, everybody!" Ash called from where he'd thrown it.

Realizing that this was their chance, Charmander and Squirtle attacked, making sure not to overlap since it would weaken the moves. Bulbasaur blew a mighty wind to increase the power of Charmander's Flamethrower and speed of Squirtle's Bubble Beam.

Eyes widening at the prospect of getting hit, Gastly's pupils darted to the side before he flew off, becoming a trail of vapor as he pursued his new target.

Ash gasped and threw Pikachu to the side, but the Ghost Pokémon slipped right into his chest. Everybody gathered around stared in shock as the Pallet Trainer slumped over.

A dark chuckle rang out in a voice that wasn't his, "Hmm-hm-hm…"

"Ash?" Brock tentatively asked.

"Sorry, he's not in right now," Gastly said through Ash's mouth. The boy's head lifted, revealing his dull eyes to be emitting purple smoke like a mask under the brim of his hat, "Can I take a message?"

"[Let him go!]" Charmander demanded.

Gastly laughed, his host's head tilting back with his eyes shut by the huge grin, "Ha-ha-ha! It's his own fault for being such a nuisance." He held up the anti-ghost stickers, "And with him as a buffer, I _can_ touch these."

The ghost didn't hesitate to rip the pieces of paper to shreds.

"What are you going to do now?" he challenged. "You wouldn't attack your dear Trai-" Ash suddenly lurched, Gastly's voice becoming strained, "-neeerrrr…?!"

"Get out of my head…!" the Trainer grit out, his real voice coming through.

"You shouldn't be able to-!"

"Pikachu…! Thunderbolt!"

The Electric-type only hesitated for the barest fraction of a second, but charged up his electricity and shocked Ash and Gastly with the attack. Ash's teeth were grit shut as he bore the pain with a muffled shout, but Gastly was screaming out and ejected himself from Ash's body when it became too much. Pikachu immediately cut off the electricity and ran to his Trainer's side as the boy fell to his knees, Brock close behind. Gastly was injured as well, patches of his form appearing burned as electricity still buzzed along it.

"What's wrong with you?!" the ghost demanded of Ash. "What human would put himself through that kind of pain?"

Ash glared up at him, "I'd _rather_ take the pain than be used against my Pokémon!"

Gastly grumbled, but a distant bell tolling made him gasp. He started grimacing in pain.

"What's going on?" Brock asked.

"You were right about one thing: I _hate_ sunlight!" the Ghost Pokémon cursed. He started fading as the sky started lightening in the east, "It's time for me to go until the next festival! Don't forget the ghost of the maiden! She and the old lady will return next year too…!"

The breeder noticed the sun peeking over the horizon after Gastly completely vanished before turning back to Ash, "Ash, are you okay?"

"I've had worse," the Trainer chuckled through the pain. "Shoulda been there on the first day of my journey."

Brock supported him on one shoulder, "Thanks for saving me. C'mon, the Pokémon Center should be open by now."

* * *

Misty came back into town on the last day of the festival. She was returning very early in the hopes of catching Ash before he woke up at the Pokémon Center.

But she wasn't prepared to meet him and Brock outside of the building on her arrival.

"What happened to _him_?" she asked incredulously. Ash appeared to have passed out on the breeder's shoulder with several burns over his body, Pikachu keeping watch from atop Brock's backpack.

"Misty," Brock began, "it's been a long night, for both of us. If you're honestly here to pick a fight, come back later. Where were you, anyway?"

"Training."

"Right, of course. Anyway, by breaking the truce, you forfeit your right to battle him during the festival," he replied.

Misty's eyes widened, "What? But I finally-"

"Ash put himself on the line to make sure I stayed safe during the festival when things went bad," Brock interrupted with a stony expression. "I'm _not_ letting you battle him until he's made a full recovery. You want a battle, take it up with me after I drop him off. I'll take you on if it makes you leave him alone until the festival's over."

"Pika-pika!" Pikachu agreed from Brock's back.

The breeder looked back and the Electric-type nodded. "Pikachu too."

Misty frowned, "Fine, then let's go right now. If I can't beat you, then I guess I won't stand a chance against Ash."

She expected him to back down with such a bad type disadvantage, but Brock surprised her by nodding.

"It's settled then. But after I drop off Ash."

The redhead blinked then said, "Wait, you can't win."

"I thought you said you wanted to beat Ash on land," Brock challenged. "Are you going to make your warm-up be in the water, then?"

"I was _giving_ you a chance to back out before your Pokémon got hurt," Misty clarified. "Or are you going to have Pikachu fight your battle for you?"

"Pikachu's who you have to get through to fight Ash, provided your Pokémon are still in fighting condition," the Pewter Leader retorted as he went through the automatic doors of the Pokémon Center. "But I'm going first."

* * *

Jessie looked around from the balloon with her binoculars, the trio having landed last night to set up camp, "I don't see any vengeful maiden ghosts. We must've given that pathetic woman the slip."

"Pathetic?" James asked as he prepared some omelet rice over a fire. His face had healed overnight, looking good as new with a healthy glow, much to Meowth's relief.

The female agent scoffed, "Girls like her disgust me. Always waiting around for her man as if she were his faithful pet; she can't _stand_ the thought of losing him. She cries, but I'd say 'See you later!' There are plenty more fish in the sea."

"I could go for some fish," Meowth prompted, looking hopefully at James' back.

"You escaped punishment," he retorted. "Don't push your luck."

* * *

Brock and Misty looked across from each other at the shore of the inlet where she'd been training. Pikachu stood in the center waiting to give the signal to begin the match.

Misty already had her first Pokémon picked out, 'He's probably going to go for Zubat first. I'll want to take him out quickly with Ice Beam before he can use Supersonic.'

Both Gym Leaders nodded to Pikachu, prompting the Electric Mouse Pokémon to raise both of his hands, "[Begin!]"

"Starmie!/Geodude!"

Misty blinked and repeated, "' _Geodude_?'"

Both Pokémon materialized and Geodude saw his opponent before rearing his open hands up and burying them into the ground.

Misty decided not to take any chances, "Starmie, Water Gun!"

As the top point sprayed water, Geodude uprooted his hands again, taking a lot of dirt with him. He held it in front of him and the masses of dirt were washed away only for the spray to meet hard unyielding stone. Not a single drop of water got on Geodude.

"After finding out that Geodude could make denser rocks for his Rock Shot move, we continued experimenting and found out that he could make them in different shapes too. He doesn't have Onix's sheer size to build up immunity to water, and we don't have that kind of time to get him used to it the old fashioned way," Brock explained.

Geodude opened his arms again to look forward when the attack stopped and revealed handles on the backs of the flat rocks that he'd formed. The result was two shields that managed to completely stonewall the torrent.

"Fortunately, while Rock _Pokémon_ are weak to water, plain old rocks take a long time to wear out. Thus, the Plate Shield."

Misty growled, while Brock didn't even have a smirk on his face. His expression remained as impassive as the rocks he specialized in and his arms were crossed stoically.

"Starmie, there's gotta be water in the cracks of those shields," she instructed. "Ice Beam!"

"Oh, a new move," Brock noted. "Impressive."

Geodude held up one of his shields and it became covered in frost before the water inside cracked it from the expansion. The Rock Pokémon dropped it before the ice could spread to him and sprung away.

"Now, Bubble Beam!" Misty ordered.

Geodude threw his remaining shield in response, intercepting the projectiles as it flew and forcing Starmie to dodge the ballistic defense gear. In the meantime, Geodude flew towards his damaged shield with both fists raised and slammed them down, shattering it into fragments.

Picking them up, Geodude tossed an armful into the air before throwing a quick barrage of Mega Punches that sent them flying at Starmie in a wide array.

"I also improved Geodude's reflexes to upgrade Rock Shot into Rock Scattershot if necessary."

The Rock Pokémon kept up the assault, tossing up new ammunition as needed, and Starmie was hard pressed to dodge. A few started connecting and one cracked her gem, causing her flight to get more stilted. Geodude saw his opportunity and uprooted a smaller shield before spinning around and throwing it like a discus.

"Starmie, return!" Misty called, Starmie turning to energy right before the projectile flew through the space formerly occupied by the Mysterious Pokémon's gem.

Pikachu watched from the sidelines, impressed. It wasn't easy to overcome weaknesses, and Brock seemed to have come up with multiple plans for dealing with Water Pokémon.

Misty sighed with relief, and then growled at Brock, "You tricked me."

"By having trained to get stronger?" the breeder asked. "People don't stop training so others can catch up. And, to be fair, I've been really focused on developing defenses against Water-types in particular."

"Why?!"

Brock raised an eyebrow as if it were obvious, "Because Team Rocket has a Gyarados."

Misty was temporarily rendered speechless at that statement, but refocused on the battle, "I'm not done yet! Go, Goldeen!"

"Doesn't that break your own condition of fighting on land?"

Misty waved a finger as her Pokémon materialized flopping on the ground, "Goldeen, Water Veil!" **(5)**

The Goldfish Pokémon's eyes glowed light blue as she flopped on the ground, and water rose from the inlet to encapsulate her, forming a sphere that she swam in, her eyes still glowing blue.

"Water manipulation too?" Brock asked. "Well, that does technically still make the battle on land. Looks like it takes a _lot_ of concentration, though."

"It's enough to wash away-"

"Geodude, return," the breeder called.

"You just took your own Pokémon out of the fight," Misty pointed out.

He switched out the Poké Ball in his hand for another, "Geodude can't win against a swimming Pokémon. The water would push away any of his rocks and I don't want him to get hurt. Now… Onix, go!"

The Rock Snake Pokémon materialized and reared up with a roar.

"How's that supposed to help?" Misty asked. "As you may have noticed, Goldeen can float that sphere of water wherever she wants."

"Like I said, it looks like it takes a lot of concentration," Brock pointed out. He then covered his ears, prompting Pikachu to take several steps back, "Onix, Screech."

With barely a breath, Onix roared out with a wind tunnel of sound waves springing forth from his mouth, his shout echoing as it traveled. Pikachu tugged his ears down in an effort to muffle the noise, just glad that it was a controlled sound attack instead of going all over the place.

Goldeen's Water Veil immediately fell apart and she flopped around uselessly, unable to get enough concentration back to reform it due to the sensory overload. Onix whipped his tail and slammed the beached Pokémon into a nearby tree, knocking her out.

"Grr…! Goldeen return!" Misty called.

"It looks like you taught a lot of new moves without first covering your Pokémon's weaknesses based on their fighting styles," Brock pointed out.

" _I'll_ show you a covered weakness! Staryu!" She threw the Poké Ball out, "Minimize!"

The Star-Shaped Pokémon appeared and his still-materializing body immediately shrunk down to the size of a coin.

Misty smirked, "Try hitting Staryu now!"

The Pokémon cried out in a tiny voice, "H-yah!"

"Onix, re-"

Onix growled out while shaking his head, his eyes trying to focus on the tiny opponent. Brock hesitated but nodded.

"I guess the only way to build resistance is to get hit…" he conceded.

Staryu zipped around, his smaller size allowing him to sneak around and take shots at Onix's blind spots. The Water-type had to re-grow in order to make his attacks worthwhile, but he always shrunk back to dodge after a brief shot of water.

Onix moved around, trying to get a lock on Staryu, but couldn't manage to hit him. After a while, his entire body had water running down it and he was visibly getting tired.

"Onix… please," Brock pled with the Poké Ball in his hand.

The Rock Snake Pokémon looked disappointed that he couldn't win, but nodded and allowed himself to be returned. If nothing else, it was proof of the progress he was making to have gone on for so long with the sprays of water and dense bubbles.

Brock switched out the Poké Ball and tossed the new sphere out, "Zubat, go."

Misty watched Zubat carefully, wondering what Brock's plan was. 'He had been about to return Onix before, so he must believe that Zubat could win,' she reasoned. 'I need to take him out fast.'

"Staryu, Swift!"

"H-yah!"

Unfortunately, even with the smaller voice, Zubat instantly picked it up and wheeled around, locking gazes with Staryu. While the Bat Pokémon didn't have actual eyes, his inner ears glowed red, causing Staryu's gem to glow a similar color. He fired his Swift attack, but the stars went wide of their target.

"Confuse Ray," Brock explained. "Now, Zubat, Leech Life."

Brock's Pokémon flitted closer and Staryu, despite Misty's calls, continued to behave erratically and got caught between Zubat's teeth. The Water-type glowed yellow as his energy was pulled away both ways into Zubat's teeth the longer contact was held.

Staryu started returning to his normal size, prompting Zubat to spit him out. His gem was blinking, showing that he was out of the battle.

"I lost… to Brock…" Misty muttered. "Two Rock-types… and a _bat_ … against my Water-types… and I lost."

Pikachu moved to Brock's side as he recalled Zubat, and the breeder said, "I guess we'll be seeing you when we leave town. Ash wants to be out of this ghost town as soon as possible."

"Ghost town?" Misty asked, puzzled despite her shock. It was a popular port town in the middle of a festival, after all. Hardly a place devoid of life or people.

"Inside joke," Brock dismissed.

* * *

Despite Ash's insistence, Brock would in turn ask that they spend the rest of the festival's final day enjoying it, just the two of them. He wanted Ash to at least have some positive memories about the experience.

It was truthfully only part of the reason, the other part being that he wanted Ash to take it easy until tomorrow, so he could make a full recovery.

They wound up staying until the evening, Ash having fun playing the carnival games with Brock. Even when the breeder beat him at the strength test game, he congratulated his friend on the win and complimented the Machop keychain hanging off his backpack now.

The Pallet Trainer also managed to have fun with some battles with other tourists, his Pokémon enjoying a friendly fight with no stakes involved. Even Rattata managed to get into the festival spirit after a while, provided that she was always right next to Ash. The Mouse Pokémon still didn't want to get lost.

The two friends attended a ceremony late at night involving all visitors sending paper lanterns out on little wooden boats. The resident Officer Jenny explained that it was a tradition to guide wayward spirits to the next world.

Ash seemed rather pensive about that, but seemed to dismiss the thoughts and left with Brock back to the Pokémon Center, rather tired from the festival.

* * *

Gastly floated invisibly over one of the paper lanterns, mentally reaching out to the statue of the maiden as he stared at it.

 _'This summer is over, but your legend will continue to live on.'_

The maiden's spirit emerged from the rock, "Thank you, Gastly."

 _'My pleasure,'_ the ghost replied. Sure that he was far enough away to not be spotted, he reappeared in his true form, "I enjoy keeping alive all of the old legends people may have forgotten over the years. And if I do a good job of it, I make a few bucks as well."

The cash register with Ash's money appeared from his body in a small flash of spectral energy.

The maiden smiled, "I'll see you again next festival. I'll be waiting until that day when my true love returns to me, at last."

"Well, I _am_ a Ghost Pokémon," Gastly reminded. "Perhaps one day I'll meet the young man you love. And if I do, I'll remind him that his maiden still longs for him to return."

"Thank you," she replied while fading back into her statue, "and goodbye!"

Gastly smiled fondly and decided to fly off, never noticing that a Horsea with a floral print scarf was watching him from his hiding place behind another one of the lanterns.

* * *

Ash waited by the Pokémon Center until he heard his Pokémon's call. Pikachu was already inside, along with Brock. Moving to the water, he caught Horsea as he leaped towards him. He'd sent him since he was least likely to be spotted and least likely to attack.

"Did you spot Gastly?" he asked.

The Dragon Pokémon nodded.

Now came the most important question, "Is he dangerous?"

Horsea shook his head and sprayed ink on the water in the shape of a familiar face, the flower the most recognizable part.

"The ghost of the maiden," Ash realized. "She really exists?"

Another nod.

"He's doing this for her?"

A nod again.

"Why?"

Horsea sprayed a crude picture of a crowd below the maiden with question marks surrounding them and then used Water Gun to disrupt the picture of her face until it vanished.

"She needs to be remembered, or she disappears," Ash realized. "She refuses to move on to the next world without meeting her love."

Horsea nodded emphatically.

"Talk about dedication… Two thousand years?" He thought about what he'd learned, "…Well, I guess that it was just some scares, and I think we'd know if anybody died during these incidents. Gastly was probably telling the truth when he said that the same thing happened every year. He must've lied about the whole 'pursuing' because he wanted to set up a bigger rumor of somebody fighting the ghost of the maiden."

Turning around, Ash started heading back into the Pokémon Center, "I can't say for sure whether Gastly's a good guy, but I can't fault him for helping the maiden. Besides, it seems like he's gone now."

With that decision made, the Pallet Trainer recalled Horsea and moved to return to his room and get some sleep.

* * *

 **And that's a wrap! Wow, I wound up making this chapter extra long because of needing to make a proper wrap-up to the chapter. Sorry I've been gone for a while, again. I'm grappling with some personal issues right now, and writing was kind of put on the back burner. And that's not even touching on the multitude of stories I haven't updated in many times longer a period. I just happen to find this one the easiest to write in my current mindset.**

 **Anyway, moving on to that aforementioned measure to Bored321's perfectly valid criticism of cutting off chapters in the middle of "episodes," I'm going to leave it to you, the readers.**

 **At the posting of this chapter, there'll be a poll on my profile where you can select one of two options.**

 **1\. Attempt to focus on keeping the chapters at uniform length.**

 **2\. Pay no heed to length (long or short) and cut chapters off at what I feel is their natural stopping point.**

 **Those are the options, and bear in mind that you need to _vote on the poll_ in order to be accounted for. Votes in reviews, unless also made on the poll, will be summarily ignored.**

 **Notes:**

 **1\. I changed around a bit of the dialogue for it to make more sense. The "ghost of the maiden" coming out during the three days of the festival is more believable than "all men passing through" getting caught under her spell.**

 **2\. The true effectiveness of the anti-ghost stickers is debatable considering Gastly, a ghost, was handling them, even if they weren't "activated" by the money paid for them. But considering that he ignored the free stickers and bothered to blow away the ones that were bought in canon, I feel that Gastly enjoys _pretending_ that they work, at least.**

 **3\. The whole "dowsing" function from canon doesn't make a lot of sense, and probably neither does what I changed it to. The way I see it, a machine like Dexter would be able to differentiate what's an illusion (spectral energy) and what's a Pokémon (a specific signature of spectral energy). I mean, in order to differentiate between the three evolutions of ghost Pokémon, which have next to no physical body, the first step would have to be being able to detect when they're near.**

 **4\. Added "illusions" because hypnosis in Pokémon canon is very clearly defined as commanding the target—whether to sleep or obey.**

 **5\. Water Veil is never shown in the anime, and is described as preventing water Pokémon from getting a burn by being covered in the ability's namesake. I changed it around and made the ability into a move allowing swimmers to fight on land.**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	24. Chapter 24: Say Goodbye, Butterfree

**Review Responses:**

 ** _Bored321_** **(Answered via PM): In order.**

 **1a. They haven't been on the team for long, if you recall the episode Training Daze. They are the _top_ grunts, but need to display a certain acumen to make Officer rank, hence the test. More than that, Giovanni is testing them for a completely new type of Officer rank.**

 **1b. As mentioned before, blood just offers the most nutrition and can be substituted with fruits, berries or Pokémon food. James can do it more regularly with Zubat since, as you said, she's small. Once she's fully recovered, he's going to switch to Pokémon food.**

 **2\. It's a large portrait, but Team Rocket's proven time and again that they can find a way to steal things, both here and in canon. A large painting is pretty easy for them, as they just need to run it away to their balloon.**

 **3\. Whoops. While I was proofreading, I meant to put a couple of lines to address that, but it slipped through the cracks, I fixed it.**

 **4\. Who knows? The Pokémon is likely centuries old, at least. That is a fair point in regards to its evolution, but perhaps it's a matter of preference for him to stay unevolved.**

 **5\. It builds up on both ends. His rock skin is conditioned to hold up better to water, a la AJ's Sandshrew, and he also builds up a tolerance to the pain itself.**

 **6\. Fair point. I changed the sentence to flow better.**

 ** _Snoozing Lurker_** **: Misty picked tactical moves specifically to take down Ash on land. Starmie's Ice Beam is good against Pidgeot, Butterfree and Bulbasaur, three Pokémon that have a particular advantage against her. Goldeen's Water Veil is good against any Pokémon that doesn't have a move to electrocute her, freeze the water bubble or break her concentration. And Staryu would be the best candidate to take down a Pokémon like Pikachu since he can shrink down to dodge the electricity.**

 **Granted, whether these plans would've gone the way she thought in an actual battle with Ash remains to be seen and won't be known since she lost to Brock. And the reason she lost is because she didn't know the specifics of his training and wasn't expecting to battle him.**

 ** _Fox McCloude_** **: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. :D**

 ** _Bbk2442_** **(Answered via PM): The origins of Ghost Pokémon seem to vary. One theory I'd argue is that Ghost Pokémon are formed from Pokémon spirits with regrets. There are exceptions to that, though. Yamask are explicitly stated to be the spirits of humans, Banette are formed from discarded dolls and likely created Shuppets when the first pair/female reproduced (?), Duskull seem like they could be formed from Pokémon spirits, but Dusknoir is hinted to be a reaper of sorts to spirits of both humans and Pokémon. Maybe Dusknoir existed first and Duskull came after with Dusclops being an in-between stage.**

 ** _RamenKnight_** **: Thank you, and you're welcome.**

 ** _TheShadowOfZama_** **: This particular Gastly is likely several centuries old at the least. With age comes power, especially for ghosts and other supernatural kinds of things.**

 ** _BrightNova169_** **: First things first, I never said that the Trainer broke Damian's Pokédex. How do you think he was able to carry fifty Pokémon all at once?**

 **Now the answers to your questions:**

 **1\. The Trainer is long gone from Kanto, so there's no chance of Ash meeting him. Both he and Damian are older than Ash, after all.**

 **2\. I _have_ heard about that, but it's not going to happen in this fanfiction. It follows the anime logic that humans and Pokémon can build up resistance to electricity through repeated exposure.**

 **3\. Provided they met, I'd say that Ash would have a good chance. It'd be a hard struggle, though.**

 **4\. Not this particular chapter, but soon.**

 **5\. It's not about strength. Imagine fighting an opponent that can make you forget which way is up, that can hypnotize you to throw yourself off a cliff, that can make your worst fears a reality. He was playing around with Ash and his team. If he wanted them defeated, they wouldn't have stood a chance. Much like how you said he'd pursue Team Rocket if they tried to steal the painting.**

 **6\. They probably wouldn't risk it since Ash is likely to be in a city with several witnesses, Trainers and/or the police and Gym Leader to help him.**

 **7\. Giovanni wouldn't risk open warfare. And a hostile takeover would leave resentment from the general population. What he has planned is to have his agents so firmly entrenched in the region that when he makes his move there'll be too many against the law enforcement for them to do anything. But, just because he would prefer no blood spilled during their takeover doesn't mean he wouldn't remove somebody too dangerous to leave alive. He doesn't want to risk _open_ warfare, after all. Civilians could get hurt during it and that would be bad publicity.**

 **One last note, the poll was overwhelmingly in favor of "no heed to length" with a _whopping_ six votes. As a result, this chapter is probably about one-and-a-half "chapters" long for one episode. (After finishing, I checked. Excluding author's notes, it's 13,613 words.)**

 **Now, strap yourselves in, and on with the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 24: Say Goodbye, Butterfree

Ash and Brock left Maiden's Peak the following day, following the breeder's map up Saffron City's southern road with Misty close behind, prompting the former to say, "See? Told you she'd be back."

"That you did," Brock replied amiably from behind his paper.

The Pallet Trainer then glanced back to look at Misty, "You get any interesting training done?"

"None of your business," she grumpily replied. No _way_ was she letting him know that she lost to Brock. 'A Rock-type specialist, of all people, was able to beat me…'

Ash shrugged, having not really expected any other answer. He took out his Pokédex and began browsing through his Pokémon's movesets. It'd been a while since he'd taught them anything new, and he wanted to see what he had to work with.

'Let's see, Pidgeot already mastered Double-Edge, and the combination move that I came up with,' he mused. 'Oh, this move sounds pretty powerful. "Razor Wind…" Come to think of it, Pidgeot doesn't have any real good projectile attacks, just Gust and Whirlwind.' He saw Swift a little further down the list as well and shook his head after a brief moment of consideration, 'That would take away too much attention to control the stars. It'd be better to have a more straightforward move.'

He spent a good chunk of their walk checking each of his Pokémon's moves and deciding who he would train and what move after dinner when they stopped to make camp. Ash eventually decided on Pikachu mastering Thunder, Pidgeot learning Razor Wind, Rattata learning Swift – she also lacked a long-range attack – Charmander learning Fire Spin, Squirtle learning Bide – after reading up on the move, Ash felt it suited him – and Kingler learning Surf.

Ash felt Butterfree was strong enough to afford missing a day of training, and he wanted Bulbasaur to learn Mega Drain from him at Professor Oak's. As for the others, he needed a source of water to train Tentacool and Horsea. Plus, he wasn't sure if Horsea was very interested in battle. Not that there was anything wrong with it, but it was something to take into consideration.

* * *

Team Rocket was floating in their hot air balloon, Meowth looking at a map in the sunset's light while Jessie was on lookout and James steered the balloon. They were flying on ahead to find a spot to ambush the Trainer trio, but they had only seen open fields since Maiden's Peak. It had gotten to the point where they decided to check the map they bought for a proper location.

"Ah, here," the feline agent announced. "There should be a forest right before Saffron City. It's to the south, so Twoip and co. should be heading right through it."

"If it's going to be that long, why not just ambush them at Saffron City itself?" Jessie asked. "Doesn't Team Rocket have some special buildings there for luring Trainers into a trap?"

Meowth scratched the side of his head with a single claw, "Hm, maybe dat ain't a bad idea. After all, we haven't tried attackin' 'em in a city yet. Might catch 'em off guard."

"Change course, then?" James asked, ready to tug the lines.

Jessie spoke up, though, "Hold on. What's that?"

The male agent scooted over to allow Jessie to share the binoculars, and he saw a gathering of Trainers with tents, a majority of them with a Butterfree nearby as well.

"Ah, is it that time already?" Then he let go of the lines to hit his fist into his palm as he stood up straight, "Ah, right. Summer's _end_. That means that the Butterfree should be migrating on their mating season soon."

Jessie lowered her binoculars to raise an eyebrow, "How do _you_ know that?"

"My education was… expensive," James hedged. "Not in Pokémon training, which is why I failed Pokémon Tech's entrance exam, but a lot of different topics."

He cleared his throat, "Ahem, anyway, a large flock of Butterfree passes by here once a year to pick up prospective mates in their migration, as well as making stops in other locations, including the Orange Archipelago, and lay their eggs atop Mt. Quena in Johto. A lot of Trainers also come to the pick-up points to release their Butterfree to join them."

"Orange Archi-what?" Meowth asked.

"'Archipelago,' a group of islands. It's a tropical region to the south," James answered. "Rumor has it that some unique Pokémon can be found there due to the different climate."

"Hold the phone," Jessie interrupted with a gleam in her eye. "'Unique' Pokémon?"

"I wouldn't count on success, Jessie," he replied. "We're purposely keeping to Ash's trail, and with our luck, he'll be _certain_ to show up when we're implementing…"

The agent trailed off as he remembered that one of the conditions of their promotion was doing it despite intervention. It was _possible_ , but he needed time to hammer out details.

"I'm taking us down," he decided. "We needed to set up camp soon anyway."

* * *

"All right, that's enough electricity, now bring it down!"

Pikachu cut off the feed of electricity into the condensed sphere above him and it grew larger before breaking apart and raining down on the ground in multiple bolts. Grass caught fire, but a surge of water swept by and put all of the flames out.

Ash let Pikachu jump into his arms while laughing in celebration, "All right! You finally got Thunder down." He turned to Kingler beside him, "And thanks, Kingler. Good thing we taught you Surf first. Keep working on the manipulation part, though."

The Pincer Pokémon rasped happily as he snapped his dripping giant claw.

Pidgeot, Charmander and Rattata had only stopped their training momentarily to watch the giant display of power from Ash's first Pokémon. Charmander in particular was awed at the sheer destructive capability and resolved to work harder on catching up.

Ash had been impressed with him already knowing Fire Spin and had started him on Slash instead, to give him a more powerful close combat move. The Trainer had explained that Charmander couldn't be too dependent on his flames.

Squirtle had wandered off after learning about the nature of Bide since he didn't want to use it on one of his teammates. He had explained that he was going to find a wild Pokémon to learn the move and practice, and Pikachu had relayed the information to Ash via pantomiming.

A distant boom followed by the sound of a tree falling over caught the entire group's attention, and Ash raised an eyebrow, "Sounds like Squirtle learned how to use Bide."

After thinking it over for a bit, he told Pikachu, "We'd better make sure that he's okay. Bide _does_ involve taking hits after all." Addressing the rest of his Pokémon, he called, "You all keep training. I'll have Pikachu send a signal if there's trouble."

Walking in the direction he'd heard the sound come from, Ash could still see some of the dust cloud from the crash and picked up the pace a bit to make sure Squirtle was fine.

He came upon the Water-type panting slightly with his sunglasses missing, and asked, "What happened? Was it a really tough Pokémon?"

Squirtle flinched slightly and turned his head to the side while taking his sunglasses from his shell to replace them on his face. He seemed embarrassed.

As the dust cleared, a pink, circular figure was revealed to be flattened against the trunk of the fallen tree before it popped into a spherical shape with short, nub-like limbs and rolled off the side, clearly unconscious. The Pokémon was nearly featureless, save for a small mouth, large eyes, two pointed ears and a curl of fluffy fur over the forehead.

Ash raised an eyebrow while Pikachu looked incredulously at the cute Pokémon.

"[ _That's_ the Pokémon that forced you to use Bide, _and_ damaged you enough to make the counter knock down a _tree_?]" the Electric-type asked. "[They look harmless!]"

Squirtle blushed as he whipped around to retort, "[That's what _I_ said when I suggested she back off before she got hurt! The crazy chick went ballistic and started mobbing me!]"

Ash meanwhile, had taken off his backpack and removed a Potion to treat the injuries on the Pokémon since her malleable body seemed to have absorbed a lot of the impact, leaving only minor wounds. **(1)** As the bruises and slight burns faded, he took out Dexter while waiting for her to wake up.

 ** _"Jigglypuff, the Balloon Pokémon. It has large friendly eyes and sings a pleasant song."_**

"Hmm, there has to be more to a Pokémon than that… Dexter, moveset for Jigglypuff."

Jigglypuff's image moved to the corner and a list of moves appeared in the opposite half. He saw that "Sing" was one of her basic moves and selected it.

 ** _"Sing. The user sings a soothing melody that lulls all but a select few Pokémon that hear it to sleep."_**

"Then why didn't they?" he wondered while putting the medicine back and zipping his bag again, not noticing Jigglypuff open one eye a crack to look at him before closing it again when his attention was on her.

But he closed his Pokédex and stood back up while slinging his backpack over his shoulder, "Well, seems like they'll be fine soon enough."

As Ash turned around, gesturing for his arguing Pokémon to follow, he didn't notice Jigglypuff start twitching as a vein throbbed beside her curl.

"Puff!"

The trio stopped in surprise and turned around to see Jigglypuff on her feet, awake and inflated slightly as she glared at them.

Squirtle figured that she was mad about getting beaten up and got ready to battle again as Jigglypuff charged forward. He'd already learned Bide, so he could just defeat her again with Bubble Storm this time.

He shot a regular Bubble Beam to attempt diverting her away from Ash, so he could use the widespread move, but she jumped to the side and continued her headlong run. When she was almost to him, Squirtle lifted his arms to guard his face since he had his sunglasses on.

But Squirtle was surprised when Jigglypuff jumped over him and used the back of his head as a springboard to reach Ash. Both his and Pikachu's eyes widened before she wound up her hand and hit the Trainer across the face with a Pound attack. While Jigglypuff was a very light Pokémon, and not one of the strongest by a long shot, her hit still _stung_ , causing his head to whip to the side.

"[Hey!]" Pikachu and Squirtle called. The Water-type continued, "[Leave him alone! I was the one that attacked you.]"

The Balloon Pokémon drifted back to the ground and crossed her arms with a huff, "[I was completely helpless and your Trainer _didn't_ catch me? Am I not good enough for him?!]"

Both Pokémon were nonplussed at that remark, and it gave Ash time to recover.

"All right, I guess that's fair."

Jigglypuff whipped around in surprise, seeing the Trainer rub his sore cheek. He continued, "Squirtle's my Pokémon, after all, so I'll take responsibility for him beating you up. Sorry you got hurt."

She puffed up in anger again and wound up for another Pound attack, but Pikachu grabbed her hand and said, "[He can't understand you. He can only guess what it is that's bothering you. Hold it against him, and you'll have to deal with _me_ next.]"

The Electric-type sparked his cheeks to emphasize the point, and Ash held up a calming hand, "It's fine, Pikachu. I'm okay. I got worse from Gary when we had our fights in the past."

That caused some pause between the Pokémon and Squirtle turned to Pikachu with a raised eyebrow, "[Who's that?]"

"[Beats me,]" Ash's starter replied. "[I think I heard that name a while ago, but I don't remember meeting the guy.]"

Meanwhile, Ash squatted down to Jigglypuff's level with a friendly smile, "So, what can I do to make it up to you?"

Jigglypuff deflated and pulled her hand from Pikachu's grip as she considered how to convey her message. She happened to see the Poké Balls on Ash's belt and pointed to them.

The Trainer looked down curiously and saw what she meant, "Oh! You want to come with us? Are you sure?"

The Balloon Pokémon nodded emphatically.

"Fair warning, there are some people out to get Pikachu, and we'll be fighting them pretty regularly," Ash explained. "And even without that, I plan to go straight to the League, and it won't be easy. Still wanna come?"

Jigglypuff's eyes seemed to sparkle at the very idea, and she jumped up and down in joy, "[Yes! That's _perfect_!]"

He raised an eyebrow with a chuckle, "I'll take that as a yes. Welcome to the team."

Ash took the empty Poké Ball he always kept on his belt, making a mental note to replace it with another one later and expanded it in front of Jigglypuff. With a light skip, Jigglypuff jumped up and pressed the button with the end of her fingerless hand, causing it to open and convert her to energy before sucking her in.

Picking up the still sphere as its button glowed, Ash looked up to see the sky starting to darken in the east.

"It's almost nighttime…" he noted. "If we hurry back, we can probably switch out one of the others to start Jigglypuff's training."

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Team Rocket's camp, the balloon deflated so that none of the other Trainers would spot it, Jessie and Meowth listened in rapt attention as James finished pitching his plan.

"James…" Jessie said as a grin slowly crawled across her face, "that's devious and underhanded."

James flourished his hair with a smile, "I try."

Meowth laughed, "Let's get ta work! James, put on yer friendly face and get all da information ya can from da campin' Trainers! I wanna know _everythin'_ there is ta know about da Butterfree's matin' season!"

James nodded and went back towards the balloon basket for some supplies to pose as a traveling Trainer. The Scratch Cat Pokémon continued, "Jessie, help Meowth- _me out_ wit' building somethin' ta catch da Butterfree."

"All the excitement making you slip back into your old language?" Jessie asked cheekily.

"Can ya blame me?" the feline agent retorted with a smirk. "If we play our cards right, and wit' a little luck, we might get our promotion after dis mission! Now, let's get ta buildin' somethin' for catching da Butterfree. We _can't_ afford ta lose our balloon again, so let's build somethin' else."

* * *

Ash had picked Kingler to send back, the Water Pokémon agreeing that it would be easier to practice water manipulation if he had an existing source of water. With that done, Jigglypuff stood slightly before the Trainer, facing the rest of the team sans Pikachu. She had a confident look on her face to make a good first impression.

"Everyone, meet Jigglypuff," Ash introduced. "She joined up after a battle with Squirtle, so treat her like you'd treat anyone else on the team, you hear?"

Once all of the Pokémon offered their own greetings, he turned to the newest teammate, "Now, it's getting late, so I don't have time to teach you anything right now. We're going to start with a spar in order to see what you can do. You'll fight…" He looked over his team, "Charmander. He's practicing his hand-to-hand anyway."

"So, you've got another new Pokémon, huh?"

The Trainer gave an irritated sigh before glancing over his shoulder, "What do you care, Misty?"

"I care that you're putting a Pokémon like Jigglypuff against Charmander," she retorted. "He's too dangerous."

Jigglypuff inflated in anger at her battle being interrupted, as well as the implication that she couldn't fight. Ash turned around as he continued, "If Jigglypuff didn't want to battle, she could tell me. And Squirtle's tired from learning Bide. Are you saying _you_ could take care of Jigglypuff better? Aren't you a _Water_ Pokémon Trainer?"

"I _am_ a Water Pokémon Trainer. That doesn't mean that I can't have a cute Pokémon on the side," she defended.

She got hit in the stomach with a flying double kick by the Pokémon in question for her comment, Jigglypuff still inflated as she drifted back to the ground.

"[I'M NOT A DOLL! I'M A _FIGHTER_!]" she yelled up at Misty, who was only lightly winded by the attack.

The Cerulean Leader glared down at the diminutive Pokémon and growled, "Leave it to Ash to find the one violent Jigglypuff in the world."

The two furiously stared each other down, and Ash diffused it by calling, "Come on, Jigglypuff. We need to start your training."

Jigglypuff seemed to consider it for a moment before deflating, taking a step to return to her Trainer and turning her nose up at Misty with a high-pitched huff. After that gesture, she turned around fully, merrily skipping back to Ash.

Charmander, who had been waiting to begin, felt a new respect begin to form for his opponent. He still intended to win, but he would look forward to seeing how far the little puffball could go.

Misty stayed and watched as well, being ignored by Ash and his team as she took out her notepad. After all, a new Pokémon meant that she had to take his new strategies into account.

* * *

The next morning, after breakfast, the group continued north towards their destination. Brock had met Jigglypuff the previous night and the new Pokémon acted courteous in the face of Brock's polite greeting.

Jigglypuff, as it turned out, had a pretty solid fighting style that seemed to be self-taught. Her Pound attacks hit decisively, and she could inflate herself and lean to ride the preceding force of attacks to dodge them, as Charmander found out when trying out his new Slash attack.

After a bit of tutoring, Ash had helped her come up with a more effective way to use Body Slam (Dexter said she could learn it) despite her lack of weight. After inflating, she shot the air out of her mouth in a pressurized stream to fly backwards in an off-the-wall execution of the move by hitting with the back instead of the stomach. It still didn't hit _very_ hard, but it could disorient the opponent, leaving openings for follow-up strikes. The Trainer dubbed the move Balloon Bash.

After a few hours of traveling, they came upon the coast again, some sheer cliffs marking the end of the traversable land. Brock double-checked his map and nodded in confirmation while looking to a rocky precipice that went down and hugged the cliff.

"The map says that this ridge leads right to Saffron City," he informed.

Ash smiled at Pikachu, " _And_ to our next challenge at the Saffron Gym." But when he turned to face the direction, he saw a bunch of tiny figures flying in the distance. He took out his binoculars from his backpack, muttering, "What are those?"

Looking through the lenses, he saw a massive flock of Butterfree flying towards their location.

"It's a bunch of Butterfree," he said to Brock.

"Ah, the Butterfree must be celebrating their season of love," the breeder realized.

Ash turned to him, "What's that mean?"

"The season of love is when Butterfree lay their eggs," he explained. "The Butterfree find mates, and then travel across the region to raise their families in safety." **(2)**

"Families?" the Pallet Trainer wondered. He took out his Pokédex, "You mean, my Butterfree would go, too?"

"You can choose whether or not to release Butterfree to go on the mating season," Brock replied. "There's always next year."

Ash stared contemplatively at the device in his hands with Pikachu seeming deep in thought too. Before long, he popped Dexter open, "It's Butterfree's decision."

Pikachu nodded as well. He'd known Butterfree longer than any of his other teammates, and he'd be sad to see him go, but he wanted him to be happy, no matter what he chose.

* * *

The agent before Giovanni blinked, "You're… letting me go out into the field, sir?"

"Yes, in due time," the leader nodded. "You've followed every order I've ever given during your probation, so I suppose I should reward that loyalty. Your unique talents should also help Squad 13 as well. Just see that you don't hold them back."

He could've also told that his brother vouched for him, but felt that to be unnecessary information. Plus, if his hunch was correct, they didn't part on the best of terms and learning of his joining later could prove for an amusing story to Giovanni.

The former HQ grunt saluted, "Thank you, sir. I swear you won't regret this decision."

"You had better hope not. Your first order is to collect Jessie, James and Meowth's mission file from the archives for you and your new would-be teammates to study. Wait at the barracks for them to arrive."

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

Ash, Misty and Brock were watching as a red and green hot air balloon inflated above them. As they stood in the basket, the Pallet Trainer commented, "Who'd have thought there'd be a hot air balloon for rent all the way out here?"

"Probably _because_ of the mating season," Misty pointed out as if it was obvious.

Ash ignored her, and Brock changed the subject by saying, "We'll probably see other hot air balloons once we're up in the air. Hold on."

He pulled the chain, causing the gas burner to ignite and heat up the air inside, lifting the aircraft off the ground. Once they were high enough, Brock took the control lines and maneuvered them over the sea.

"Ha-ha, what a view!" Ash gleefully laughed.

Pikachu spotted the flock coming and called to his Trainer.

Ash nodded and pulled out Butterfree's Poké Ball, which he'd switched in place of Charmander's after explaining the circumstances to the Fire-type.

"All right, Butterfree," he said as he expanded the sphere. "It's your decision whether you want to stay or go, and I don't want you to have any regrets by not trying to find your mate." Ash threw the sphere forward, "Go!"

Butterfree emerged as the Poké Ball returned to Ash's hand, and he flew towards the massive flock.

"Good luck, Butterfree!" he called in farewell.

The Trainer trio watched as Butterfree moved about the flock, examining certain Butterfree before flying off to the next. Ash watched with rapt attention, along with Pikachu.

After a while, Brock commented, "Maybe none of those Butterfree are his type."

"What do you mean by 'his type'?" Misty asked curiously. "All the Butterfree look exactly the same to me."

"Some must fly better than others, or maybe they have slightly different wing patterns," he theorized.

The sound of Poké Balls opening caused Ash to whip around on guard, but he relaxed when he saw that it was other Trainers in hot air balloons releasing their Butterfree to join the flock.

"They all must be Trainers here to release their Butterfree," he commented in slight relief.

An orange balloon with red stripes pulled up next to them and a girl with long purple hair held one of her Poké Balls, instructing her Butterfree to find a good mate. Brock stared at her with a blush as she laughed happily at seeing her Pokémon fly off to join the others.

Ash fondly smiled and shook his head at his friend's antics, but turned back to Butterfree when he appeared.

"Something wrong?"

Butterfree shook his head and said, "[Doesn't seem to be anybody that catches my eye this year.]"

"[Are you sure?]" Pikachu asked. "[Did you search the entire flock?]"

"[Well, not _all_ of it, but-]"

"[Ash wants to make sure there's no time you ask 'what if' by staying with us,]" the Electric-type interrupted. "[Take one more look, please.]"

After a pause, Butterfree nodded and turned around for another search of the flock.

Ash smiled down at his starter, "Thanks, Pikachu." The Pokémon nodded back with a smile.

They watched again, and noticed Butterfree flail around happily when he spotted a particular Butterfree, a pink one.

Chuckling, the Trainer said, "Looks like Butterfree found someone he likes."

"Yeah," Brock agreed. "Love at first sight with that pink one."

Though she wouldn't admit it, Misty found the event to be heartwarming as well.

Butterfree started doing a fluttering dance in the air beside the pink Butterfree. Ash raised an eyebrow, "What's Butterfree doing?"

"That's Butterfree's courtship dance." At his friend's puzzled look, Brock continued, "It's Butterfree's way of saying, 'I want to be your Butterfree.' If it's successful, the other Butterfree does a dance, too."

Ash looked back out to see the pink Butterfree continuing her flight path unmoved, "It's… not."

The pink Butterfree changed course and flew straight up, Butterfree pausing his dance before following her. Ash started growing worried as his Pokémon continued his courtship dance in an effort to impress his chosen mate. He took out his binoculars again to more closely watch, and Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder, prompting him to share them.

They finally managed to get the pair in their sights just in time to see the pink Butterfree slap their teammate with her wing. Brock and Misty gasped as the pink Pokémon fluttered off, leaving Butterfree behind, while Ash and Pikachu remained in stunned silence as Butterfree started tearing up.

Brock averted his gaze, "Butterfree got shot down."

"What?! That's so mean! That isn't fair!" Misty shouted before she could stop herself. She covered her mouth, and glanced at Ash, but he hadn't paid her any mind, instead still staring at Butterfree, who began flying towards a small forest by the cliff they'd been at earlier.

Ash immediately dropped his binoculars and his hat to the ground and jumped onto the edge of the balloon basket, teetering only for a moment before expanding one of his Poké Balls at his hip.

"Pidgeot!"

The Bird Pokémon materialized and Ash hurriedly shrunk the sphere again to hook it back onto his belt. He then hopped onto Pidgeot's back with Pikachu still on his shoulder.

Brock held out his hand, "Ash, wait!"

"After Butterfree," the Pallet Trainer ordered while taking Pikachu and putting him in front of him so he could hold onto Pidgeot himself. He pointed the Butterfly Pokémon out just before he disappeared beneath the foliage of the trees.

Pidgeot dove down with Ash in tow, the boy's hair blowing in the wind from the speed, and they disappeared into the forest soon after.

Brock let out a sigh of relief, "Okay, that's fine. I thought he was going to go tell off the pink Butterfree… That probably would've made things worse." He went over to the control lines and started steering the balloon towards the forest, looking for a clearing large enough for it to land in.

Once he found one, he and Misty started wandering around, looking for Ash and Butterfree. Brock called out for the two several times before he finally got a response.

"Over here."

The two Gym Leaders followed the voice and found Ash standing near a tree, Butterfree under Pidgeot's comforting wing while the bird and Pikachu talked to him.

"[Listen, don't feel bad. You _are_ a great Butterfree,]" Pikachu reassured. "[She just doesn't see that yet.]"

"[You need to impress her with your strength,]" Pidgeot agreed, getting the younger Pokémon's attention by patting him on the back with his wing. "[Show some of your best moves, and take the lead while she's still stunned at the display. Trust me; I've courted many a female of my own species with that.]"

Pikachu raised an eyebrow, "['Many'?]"

"[The entire flock looks after the children. Pidgeotto, such as I used to be, were in charge of guarding them,]" he explained. Idly, he mused, "[I wonder how they're doing.]"

Ash spoke up, "Butterfree, you just need to be confident. I _know_ you can impress that pink Butterfree."

"Here," Brock chimed in, holding a small yellow strip of cloth. "A new look might help, too." He stooped down to tie the accessory around Butterfree's neck like a scarf, the two ends pointing outward from the right side of Butterfree's neck.

Butterfree looked down at the accessory, feeling a surge of newfound determination at so much help from his friends, "[Wow…]"

Brock nodded in approval while Ash smiled, "See? You look great!"

"[Now let's go!]" Pikachu cheered while Pidgeot offered a supportive smile from the sidelines, retracting his wing when he saw Butterfree feeling better.

The Butterfly Pokémon's eyes sparkled with gratitude, "[Thanks, all of you.]"

Misty had turned away, waiting for them to be done. She had her eyes shut and absolutely refused to be moved by the display of camaraderie between Ash, Brock and Ash's Pokémon.

'Once this is all over, it's back to focusing on how to beat Ash in battle,' she reminded herself.

* * *

"Field work? Why would I be called?" the pink-haired girl asked. "I just drive the getaway transport."

Giovanni brought up some blueprints on his computer, "I had a feeling you would ask that. Squad 13 should be due for a promotion relatively soon, and if you join, you can pilot this full-time, in addition to whatever your superiors would build."

He turned the screen towards the curious agent.

A grin slowly crawled across her face as she looked at the image, "Sign me up, Boss-man!"

* * *

Ash and co. were back in their rented hot air balloon, the Pallet Trainer diligently looking through the flock of Butterfree. Ash's Butterfree was already flying through the air again, looking as well.

"We've gotta find her. Where did that pink Butterfree go?"

"You seem to care an awful lot about this," Misty noted.

Ash lowered his binoculars to glance at her, "I raised Butterfree myself, and I'll show them all how good he is."

Brock smiled as his friend went back to his search, "Looks like the Trainer is just as passionate as the Butterfree."

"There she is!" Ash said with a grin once he spotted the pink Pokémon. He called Butterfree over and pointed her out, "Now, Butterfree, this time just have confidence in yourself. Go!"

"[You can do it!]" Pikachu added.

The Butterfly Pokémon zipped off, flying to his chosen mate's side, but seemed to hesitate at that point.

"Butterfree, show her your Silk Cyclone!" Ash called.

With a fierce cry, Butterfree sprayed String Shot while stirring up a tornado, the result being a whirling mass of silk threads that would tangle even a small group of opponents.

The pink Butterfree turned her head away, pointedly ignoring him.

The Pallet Trainer groaned, but called, "Now use your Mega Drain! _That_ should do the trick!"

Butterfree flew back in front of the female Pokémon and released a radiant green glow from the front of his wings, its area widespread in a conical shape that moved with him as he glided along her path.

She turned away again.

Butterfree's confidence started faltering as he looked down in despair.

"Gee, tough crowd," Misty commented in slight sympathy. She had been studying the moves of Ash's Pokémon and knew that those were two of Butterfree's best ones. 'How can she _not_ be impressed?'

Before Ash could call to reassure Butterfree and move on to the next move, a drone of helicopter blades made him snap his attention in the direction it came from.

"No!" he cursed as he saw a black helicopter with a red "R" printed on the front, along with similarly colored patterns along the side. A pair of voices spoke up from a speaker.

"Prepare for trouble,"

"Make it double,"

Ash growled, "Not this time! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"To protect the world from devastation,"

"To unite all peoples within our nation,"

Pikachu finished charging up his electricity and shot a giant bolt at the criminals' vehicle. But an antenna extended from halfway down the tail, and the electricity was absorbed into the aircraft. Jessie and James continued as if they hadn't been interrupted.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love,"

"To extend our reach to the stars above,"

The absorbed electricity was fired into the sky from the antenna with a crack.

"Jessie,"  
"James,"

A hatch opened on the bottom of the chopper, lowering a black and white ball on the end of a pole.

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

Meowth was on a thin rail attached to the pole extending from the helicopter, a belt with a walkie-talkie around his waist, "Meowth, dat's right!"

A giant metal butterfly net soon expanded from the ball in a puff of smoke, and the chopper veered towards the flock.

"No!" Ash shouted furiously as they were already catching the Pokémon by the pair. "They're not getting away with this! Butterfree, gunk up that helicopter with-"

"DON'T!" Brock and Misty shouted, the former slapping a hand over Ash's mouth.

"If the helicopter crashes over the sea with those Butterfree in its net, they'll drown!" the breeder warned. Butterfree heard him too and stopped right before he was about to spray String Shot. But his hesitation meant that the helicopter veered around and made another pass, catching many more Pokémon.

* * *

James turned his eyes to look out the window as he spotted the red and green hot air balloon with the chopper turned around. "It's those three kids again. I told you. No matter _what_ we plan ahead of them, they _always_ get in our way."

"But this time they can't do a single thing to stop us," Jessie said with a laugh.

"Jessie!" Meowth's voice rang out from a walkie-talkie on the empty seat between them. "There's a rare Butterfree, a pink one, at 2 o' clock!"

The two agents' eyes snapped to their right and Jessie veered the helicopter to Meowth's indicated direction, pulling up to snatch the rare Pokémon along with the Butterfree she was traveling with.

"Nothing but net!" James quipped.

* * *

Ash growled ineffectually as he watched the pink Butterfree get snatched up as well. Butterfree tried to use Whirlwind to blow the other Butterfree out of the net so he could destroy the helicopter, but Meowth kept firing Swift stars that Butterfree had to blow into the water.

"Isn't there anything we can do to stop this?" he asked Brock.

"I'm following them as fast as I can," he replied while alternating between tugging at the control lines and the chain for the burner. "Their chopper's just that much faster. But they must have a hideout somewhere. Once they're back over land, we won't be so restricted."

"All right, when they're heading back, I'll send out Pidgeot to-"

"Hang on," Misty interrupted. "How do you think that would make Butterfree feel? He's trying his hardest out there."

Ash looked out to his Pokémon. Trying to keep up with Team Rocket, Butterfree was equally furious that he couldn't do anything without endangering his love and several dozen other Butterfree. He could only keep flying to keep track of Team Rocket.

Growling again, he called, "Butterfree! Stay on Team Rocket's tail no matter what! We _will_ save the Butterfree!"

* * *

Meowth confirmed over the communicator that they'd caught the last of the Butterfree, and that Ash's was still following them.

"Let's fix that," Jessie decided before taking out a Poké Ball. She whispered to it, "You know where we kept the balloon. Make it look good and rendezvous there later."

She passed it to James, who opened the door and opened the ball, releasing Fearow into the sky before he closed it again. Meanwhile, Jessie pressed a button that would ensure the Butterfree in their net wouldn't be able to get away.

* * *

The helicopter veered to the side as a stream of white energy shot out and materialized into Fearow. The Beak Pokémon flew towards Butterfree, ready to engage him. As that was happening, the frame of the giant net tightened, closing the opening until it was barely as wide as an apple, meaning that none of the Butterfree could fly out.

Ash's Butterfree furiously blew a Silk Gale to tangle up Fearow for him to continue following the helicopter, but Fearow blinked away and reappeared at Butterfree's side, striking him with her beak at high speeds.

But as the Bug/Flying-type was knocked back, Fearow spotted some swift movement coming in from her left and shot upwards before Pidgeot came flying in, his wing where her neck had been.

"[Go! I'll hold her off!]" the Bird Pokémon urged.

Butterfree nodded and flew towards Team Rocket's chopper, already over a mountainous area in the distance.

"[ _You_ ,]" Fearow venomously seethed. "[I've been waiting a _long_ time to pay you back for that humiliation on the island.]"

"[I returned one of your attacks to you,]" Pidgeot stonily replied. "[Get over it.]"

"[You misunderstand.]" Fearow spread her wings and flitted away, but Pidgeot dropped down to avoid the spearing thrust of her beak that had been aimed at his shoulder, her wing barely skirting over his head.

His opponent glared at him hatefully out of the corner of her eye before she veered around in a tight turn, "[Any humiliation of my Trainer is a strike against me as well!]"

"[Then you must have a _lot_ of grievance with me,]" Pidgeot replied with a smirk.

Fearow gave an inarticulate crow of rage as she charged him again with Javelin Strike, this time aiming for his body, prompting Pidgeot to flit away with Agility. The Beak Pokémon reappeared as she slowed down to a stop before flitting away herself.

* * *

As Ash and his companions flew towards where Butterfree had followed Team Rocket, they watched as both Pidgeot and Fearow kept reappearing as they slowed down to change direction before disappearing again as they apparently spotted one another.

"Goodness," Brock uttered while still steering the balloon. "I guess this is what a battle between speed fighters is like. I can't even see them moving unless they slow down."

Misty palmed her face before dragging her hand down, 'What was I thinking about teaching Starmie Ice Beam? There's no way she'd fire fast enough to hit Pidgeot. Well, it's good for Grass-types, at least.'

Ash didn't comment, eyes locked on the battle. From training his various Pokémon in speed, he'd managed to train his eyes to make out vague blurs of movement through the air, nothing more than brown-colored streaks, though. But he could just barely track the fight, needing to spot Pidgeot again every time he blinked. He was keeping as close an eye as he could on the light brown and yellow blur that was his Pokémon.

Pikachu could see them just fine, his eyes trained to a much higher degree from being able to move that fast himself, on land at least. As he noticed the two about to clash, he noticed the tips of the feathers on his teammate's wings beginning to glow. He smiled as he realized that Pidgeot was going to win.

Ash saw the two blurs about to crash into one another. Pidgeot's blur tipped, appearing to bend around before slowing down enough to be visible to Ash, a glow surrounding the edge of his wings on the feathers. Fearow sped on, and Pidgeot performed half of a barrel roll to face backwards before flapping his wings in a powerful beat, sending a crescent of Razor Wind at Fearow's back as she slowed down to turn, unaware of the projectile headed her way.

Fearow glanced back towards her opponent, and her eyes widened as the blade connected solidly with her back, leaving a large cut down it as she fell from the sky.

"He did it!" Ash cheered as they had just arrived at the mountainous region that Butterfree had pursued Team Rocket to.

* * *

Pidgeot stared at his falling opponent, pondering whether or not to save her. On the one hand, she'd probably drown if she fell into the ocean. On the other… well, there really couldn't be another hand if he wanted to be the hero.

But as he prepared to dive for her, Fearow righted herself, flying despite the blood beginning to leak from her back down her sides. She smirked sinisterly at Pidgeot.

"[I saw it all,]" the Beak Pokémon told him with a weak chuckle. "[Your charge-up and the attack itself. Even if I couldn't dodge it, I saw it.]"

Her eyes glimmered as she gradually worked her way back up into the sky and an apparition of Pidgeot appeared, its wings starting to glow the same as his had earlier. Pidgeot got ready to dodge, sure that his opponent didn't have much longer to fight.

But Fearow's eyes suddenly focused on something past him, to his right. His eyes widened as he realized her true target.

Still with a smirk, the Beak Pokémon had her apparition turn and shoot the Razor Wind at the hot air balloon carrying Ash, Misty and Brock.

Pidgeot was already moving by that time, seeing Ash's eyes widened, Misty fumbling through her bag for some unknown reason and Brock pulling the chain which made the aircraft slowly start to rise. But the blade was aimed for the dead center of the balloon and would hit before it got out of the way.

The last thing he saw while pulling up into the path of the attack right before the balloon was Pikachu, apparently able to see him too, reaching out helplessly towards him from the edge of the basket. Only a portion of the first word he was going to say reached his ears at that point. In the last fraction of a second, he sent a reassuring smile at the small Electric-type.

His back exploded in pain as the Razor Wind connected, but he made sure to keep his smile up.

* * *

"[Pidgeooot!]" Pikachu cried as he became visible to the others in the balloon right in time for his back to be sliced open. Even though he was pained, the bird had a smile on his face, showing that he did what he did to protect them.

Ash reached out and caught Pidgeot as he fell, supported from behind by Misty and Brock, pulling the bird into the balloon.

Brock reached to help, but Ash stopped him with a look and said, "Keep steering, or Pidgeot protecting us will have been for nothing if Team Rocket gets away."

The breeder hesitantly complied as Ash took out a Super Potion and a roll of bandages from his own backpack. He'd bought them at Maiden's Peak for precisely in case something like this happened—for if one of his Pokémon got injured in a way that couldn't be fixed right away with just medicine.

'All right, just like mom did it all those times,' he told himself while spraying the medicine, causing the blood to begin clotting because of the properties in it. 'Clean up any extra blood, disinfect and cover it with bandages to keep it clean. Be sure to change them every day until the wound is healed.'

Pikachu tore his eyes away from the sight of his injured teammate to glare at Fearow, and started readying to shoot a Thunderbolt, but the Beak Pokémon flitted away, leaving drops of blood in the air. He could see her, but didn't think that he'd be able to hit her.

He took a deep breath as he powered back down, 'Save my energy. I'll need it to fight Team Rocket. They're not going to let go of those Butterfree easily.'

* * *

Fearow faltered the instant that she felt she was far enough away to go unnoticed. She was feeling woozy from all of the blood that she'd lost after that hit.

There was a sense of accomplishment that she'd managed to take her opposite number out of the fight for today. She knew very well that he would be healed soon enough. Because of that, she had to make sure that she made it back.

'Have to get back,' she tiredly thought as she was already dipping in her flight, trying to make sure she got to land. 'I won't let him get one over me by _dying_ like a weakling.'

She was heading straight for the coast, a valley that touched the shore, only slightly higher than sea level. She headed for the ground at the bottom, falling fast as she tried and failed to regain altitude. Darkness was crawling in at the end of her vision, and she put in one last beat to gain some height as she was almost upon the ground.

Despite her best efforts, though, only her upper half cleared the slight precipice that marked the border of the land and ocean. Her claws dug feebly into the unyielding stone before gravity reasserted itself and started pulling her towards the water.

Right before Fearow passed out, she felt a hand wrap around her neck, gently pulling her all the way onto the earth. She fought to keep her eyes open and saw Mankey with a med kit in one hand and a look of concern on his squinty-eyed face.

Still, she could only smile victoriously and say, "[I beat him.]"

Fearow thought that she saw him nod before everything went black.

* * *

"So I join these two field agents' new team, and I help 'em with their Pokémon rustles?"

"In simple terms, yes," Giovanni answered. "You also have the most experience working on care of Pokémon, so you'll see that any captured targets stay healthy during transport. Your Machoke and your own bulk should also help subdue and discourage any retaliation."

"That reassignment come with a pay raise?"

"But of course. Field work demands a lot, and you were clear on your reasons for being here. You'll earn triple your current salary from heading the Pokémon stables."

"Then consider it a done deal. Just keep sending the better part of it off like I asked, if ya please."

* * *

Team Rocket's helicopter was on autopilot, hovering above a plateau with a warehouse built on top of it. The trio had found it after sending Fearow to scout around and it seemed like the perfect place to store their cage for the Butterfree after they picked the lock on the front doors.

There were several crates on the two levels inside, and breaking one of them open revealed a packed hot air balloon, so they assumed it was where whoever rented out all the aircrafts kept their merchandise. **(3)**

With Arbok, Beedrill and Gyarados on watch for any attacks, the Rocket trio guided each of the Butterfree out of the slightly expanded net inside a warehouse and into a light wooden cage with the sticks bent and woven like a butterfly net. Two of the bars were popped out of the slots in the bottom to allow the agents to get them in.

As the pink Butterfree made her way out, Jessie signaled Arbok, who lashed out with her tail and wrapped the Pokémon up.

The pink Pokémon started panicking, but James stepped forward and said, "Easy, we just want to ask you some questions. We won't harm a single antenna on your body."

Jessie beckoned Arbok to follow and said, "Meowth, with me to translate. Let's find out what kingdom our pretty pink princess comes from."

The two Pokémon followed her around and behind the warehouse, unaware that Butterfree was watching. He wanted to attack, but forced himself to turn around.

'I don't stand a chance by myself. If I get caught, then nobody will be able to lead them here until it's too late.'

* * *

Once Ash was satisfied that Pidgeot was on the road to recovery, and had gotten Brock to give the treatment a cursory evaluation, he returned his Pokémon to rest.

The bandages he'd gotten were a special sort, the standard for traveling Trainers. They absorbed the traces of blood and sweat from the Pokémon they were placed on and replicated the DNA so that they could be worn while inside Poké Balls. They stayed on during the conversion, shrinking and expansion that involved returning and releasing Pokémon.

He now felt justified in buying six whole rolls of the stuff.

The trio of Trainers heard Butterfree's calls and looked to watch his approach.

"Did you find them?" Ash asked.

Butterfree nodded urgently and turned around to lead them there.

Ash took one of his Poké Balls and said, "I know you want to battle, but this is serious. I swear I'll bring you right back after this for some training. Right now, though, I need a more experienced battler."

With that explained, he switched out Jigglypuff for Bulbasaur.

"Brock, I need you to wait outside when we get there," he instructed while hooking the newly arrived Poké Ball to his belt. "Their helicopter should be parked nearby. Wreck it so they can't catch the Butterfree again after my Pokémon and I free them."

Misty spoke up in an irritated tone, "You? What about me?"

Ash looked at her in slight surprise, "Do you want to help?"

"Well I'm not going to stand there and do _nothing_!" the redhead heatedly retorted.

"Then you're with me on breaking inside and distracting Team Rocket and their Pokémon while Butterfree goes for whatever's holding the others," Ash decided. "Now, Brock, you need to stay outside after wrecking Team Rocket's helicopter. Once the doors are open, Team Rocket will probably try to send out a Pokémon to block the exit and keep them inside. It'll probably be Gyarados, so have Onix ready to bind 'em and I'll send Pikachu out to take care of them as fast as I can."

The breeder nodded, "Okay." After a brief pause while running the controls, he took one of his Poké Balls out and held it out to Ash, "Here, take Geodude for some extra support."

Ash smiled, despite the serious situation, "Thanks."

* * *

"Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one _hundred_ Butterfree, includin' da pink one!" Meowth laughed as the trio admired their catch in the wooden cage. The pink Butterfree had been brought back in shortly before they closed the cage, put in with the others by Arbok.

James chuckled, "A _very_ nice catch with a crown jewel in a Pokémon from the mythical Pinkan Island."

He had heard about it in his culture studies – specifically its legends – but he'd never thought it really existed until he got confirmation from Meowth about the "island of pink Pokémon," as Butterfree had put it. The male agent had quickly filled in his teammates about how such news would be invaluable to Team Rocket's goals.

"I'm sure the Boss can pull some serious strings with proof that the island truly exists," Jessie smirked.

"Yeah," Meowth agreed with his eyes closed fondly. "When he hears about dis catch, dat promotion's as good as ours."

The trio took a moment to appreciate their imminent moving up when a massive crash sounded from outside, followed by an explosion.

"What was that?!" James wondered, whipping around towards the front door of the warehouse.

One of the windows broke and two sets of footfalls landing alerted Meowth, "Somebody's busted in!"

Jessie tried to look through the shadows beneath the windows as two figures were crouched from their landing, "It can only be one person…"

"Got that right," Ash replied as he and Misty stood up, Butterfree behind him with Pikachu at the ready and two Poké Balls in his hands. "Did you really think I'd let you get away with this?"

Misty already had two in her hands as well, " _We_ are going to free those Butterfree!"

"We gotta _stop_ 'em!" Meowth shouted.

Jessie took out two Poké Balls while James took out one, the space being too small to have Gyarados battle. They spoke in turn.

"Today's the day…"

"…you _won't_ win!"

Four and three Poké Balls flew from each side towards the center of the warehouse, the flashes of released Pokémon blaring from the center of the room. Pikachu and Butterfree hung back at first, the former to see where he could do the most good and the latter to wait for an opportunity to get at the cage.

* * *

Giovanni received a nervous gulp in reply to his proposal with a tentative, "Why me?"

"You're the only one with experience in the medical field that focuses on treatment rather than experimentation. Rather than part with a scientist that would sooner test a Pokémon than cure it, you're a much better alternative and won't be missed too much around here."

"Of course…" the medic sighed. "Where do I meet up with the rest?"

* * *

The warehouse had devolved into chaos, Ash and Misty's Pokémon along with Geodude fighting to defeat or at least occupy Team Rocket's Pokémon. Since it was seven-on-four, including Meowth on Team Rocket's side, Jessie and James had stepped into the battle.

The latter wielding the Zap Sapper and liberally tossing explosives at enemy Pokémon was nothing new, but Jessie pulling a large knife out from under her blazer gave Ash and his Pokémon pause for a moment.

Staryu tried to knock it out of her hand with Swift, but Meowth's own Swift stars shot down his, canceling out the attacks. Beedrill attacked the Star-Shaped Pokémon soon after, trying to stab him with Twineedle in the gem, but Staryu shrunk down while twisting out of the way, spraying one of Beedrill's wings with a miniaturized Water Gun, making it harder for Beedrill to fly.

Unfortunately, Arbok lashed out with her tail and caught the shrunken Pokémon, the wrapped portion glowing with Strength as she tightened her grip until a crunch sounded and Staryu started re-growing when Arbok released him. His gem and skin were cracked and the light had gone out, showing that he'd lost consciousness.

Geodude tackled the Cobra Pokémon shortly after, knocking her into a stack of crates, one of which he promptly picked up and slammed down on her face. Unfortunately, as he lifted it back up for another attack, the box fell apart as it and its contents were dissolved by an Acid attack that Arbok had sprayed.

Misty worriedly recalled Staryu and barely caught a bottle of Super Potion that Ash had thrown at her.

"Heal him up," he urged. "Starmie can handle herself against Weezing until you're done treating him."

She shakily nodded and called her Pokémon back out to do so.

Beedrill started moving to help Arbok against Geodude when a Vine Whip grabbed his leg and yanked him to the ground. He turned and fired a stream of Toxic to try handicapping his new opponent, but it only hit Bulbasaur, who easily shrugged it off by virtue of being half Poison-type.

As James continued to run around sowing explosive chaos, he saw Rattata in front of him, growling fiercely.

He glanced to the side and saw Jessie similarly occupied with Squirtle, who showed a remarkable improvement in agility to maneuver around her dance fighting. Even with his smaller size, it wasn't easy.

Turning to his opponent again, he said, "I won't doubt you can beat me in a straight fight. Luckily for me…" With a sleight of hand, he had a purple rose in his free hand, "this ceased being a straight fight long ago."

Starmie had managed to hose Weezing several times, but the Poison Gas Pokémon kept getting up, trying to hit her with various attacks. While she didn't have conventional lungs or skin, his poisonous attacks would still hurt her if they got on or in the pores on her metallic surface.

Misty, who had finished treating Staryu and recalled him, realized that Weezing was all wet and called, "Starmie, Ice Beam!"

The Mysterious Pokémon complied and fired the bolt of ice energy, managing to hit Weezing by moving the firing point after him when he tried to dodge. The water soaking his body froze, creating a thin layer of ice that weighed him down and plugged up his pores, causing him to fall to the ground without the ability to release gas downward.

Meowth ran by, stopping long enough to kick Weezing towards Starmie, Pikachu hot on his heels. The Poison Gas Pokémon saw what Meowth was doing and flashed white as he approached his opponent. Starmie realized that Misty was right behind her and fired a Water Gun backwards to push her back before Weezing blew up in a small explosion with Self-Destruct.

Misty got back to her feet after shielding her face from the residual heat of the blast and ran forward to find Starmie with visible burns over her metallic skin, Weezing unconscious as well nearby.

She looked around despairingly, seeing Geodude finally tapping into Strength to resist Arbok's crushing grip and even incorporating Harden into all but his joints in order to raise his defenses without inhibiting movement.

Bulbasaur had evidently knocked out Beedrill and moved on to help Squirtle against Jessie, who alternated between spinning kicks, graceful dodges and slashes with her knife. Between the two of them, they managed to keep her at a distance, the female agent sporting slight amounts of both round bruises that looked like impacts of Bubble Beam and cuts from Razor Leaf.

Rattata kept James at a distance with her nimble footwork and took potshots at his legs with speedy tackles any chance she had. But James didn't make it easy with a new weapon, a staff topped by a purple rose flower that cracked the tile when it missed Rattata. Evidently it was weighted.

Butterfree had made his way to the cage with less Pokémon to get in his way and was ramming it repeatedly with Tackle, trying to break one of the bars. Ash was close by as well to keep watch for any attacks as well as monitor the battles.

The Pallet Trainer was by far the calmest person in the room, his expression set as his eyes flicked rapidly from one fight to the next while also monitoring the unconscious Pokémon to make sure they didn't get up.

Misty, on the other hand, was out of battle-ready Pokémon, and thus a liability. Even if she called out Goldeen and tried to have her make a Water Veil with the residual liquid from all the Water Guns, James would spot it and light Goldeen up with his Zap Sapper.

'Just how far behind _am_ I?' the Cerulean Leader wondered. But she noticed that Butterfree seemed to be slowly weakening the wooden bars of the cage and she looked around noticing that no eyes were on her.

'Maybe there's _something_ I can do, though,' she decided as she recalled Starmie and started sneaking her way towards the front door of the warehouse.

Meanwhile, Meowth noticed that both of his teammates were being pushed back and growled, thinking, 'I need ta shake Pikachu!'

He turned around, seeing that Pikachu was ready to fire another Thunder Shock. He'd been dodgeing the bolts as he ran, knowing that if even one hit him that he'd be too stunned to dodge a more powerful attack. And whenever he heard the telltale "zip" of super fast movement, he jumped into the air and to the side. So far it had a fifty-fifty success rate, so he'd taken a few hard hits to the back, but kept running.

Meowth knew that Pikachu was way too fast for him to hit with any of his attacks. He'd tried using Swift, but his opponent kept using discharges of electricity to destroy them, and he couldn't aim too well while needing to focus on running. The feline agent wanted to use Flash to stun Pikachu, but he could never get close to any of the windows without getting cut off by one of the other battles. He needed a source of light to shine on his charm in order to pull it off at his current skill level. He'd tried in the dark, and it didn't work.

'Wait a sec… Lightning means light,' he realized with a grin.

Pikachu charged forward as he fired the bolt, but Meowth jumped to the side and grinned as he put his paws at the sides of his charm. The coin glimmered with the electricity's ambient glow, and the next thing the Electric-type knew, a bright flash of light left his eyes burning and he pawed at them while staggering about.

"Squirtle! Switch to Meowth!"

Meowth quickly moved to close the distance and capitalize on his advantage with a Fury Swipes attack.

But he only got two scratches in before he got jump kicked in the head. He bounced along the ground once before catching himself and glaring at the attacker. Squirtle stood between him and his still recovering teammate, smugly tapping the side of his sunglasses with his finger.

"All right," Meowth growled back as he got on all fours, "let's see if ya learned some new tricks, kingpin."

Ash had recovered Pikachu from the ground and zipped the Electric-type into his jacket while the mouse tried to blink his vision clear. At the same time, Butterfree had fluttered up nearly all the way to the ceiling and dove down with an extra powerful Tackle. Upon impact, a crack sounded and a large hole broke in the cage, allowing the Butterfree to begin flowing out.

Meowth noticed first and called while still trying to battle Squirtle, "Da Butterfree are gettin' away! Do somethin'!"

Misty had snuck her way to the front and grabbed the doors, sliding them open after a brief struggle and addressing the flying Butterfree, "Hurry! Fly away!"

"Not so fast!" James interrupted, throwing his golden Poké Ball outside over Misty's head before any of the Butterfly Pokémon could escape.

Gyarados appeared with a roar, barring the way and keeping the Butterfree inside. But another more rumbling roar sounded and the Atrocious Pokémon was tackled to the side by a massive grey blur.

Misty looked and saw Onix trying to get the sea serpent into a bind.

"Gyarados, Hydro-"

"Thunderbolt, Pikachu!" Ash ordered at the same time while flinging Pikachu out the gap that a few Butterfree were already crossing. While he was still blinking spots out of his eyes, he could see the rapidly approaching and writhing shape in front of him

The Electric-type charged up during his flight, landing atop the intertwined serpents, "Pikaaaa-CHU-UUUUU!"

Gyarados roared in pain while Onix stoically allowed the electricity to harmlessly pass around his body, tightening his hold as Gyarados thrashed around.

"Hang in there, Onix!" Brock called from the sidelines. "It's working!"

The Atrocious Pokémon continued roaring before shooting a Hydro Pump in Onix's face. He kept it up for several seconds, the massive, high-pressure stream of water stronger than anything Onix had ever taken. By the time Gyarados lost consciousness, Onix was passed out beside him.

Brock ran over worriedly, "Onix!"

Pikachu panted hard, having used a good chunk of his electric reserves to knock Gyarados out.

With the major threat at the front door gone, the Butterfree started flying out of the warehouse in droves.

"James!" Jessie called. "We need to get back to the chopper!"

The agent nodded and hooked his Zap Sapper long enough to withdraw three smoke pellets from his pocket. He threw them to the ground and there was the sound of rushing feet and Pokémon being recalled. By the time the smoke cleared from the wind flowing through the open door and broken window, Team Rocket was gone with all of their Pokémon.

But Ash simply knelt by his panting Butterfree, "Are you all right, Butterfree?"

The pink Butterfree approached, "Free! Free!"

"TWEEEEEERRRP!"

Ash chuckled at the cry of rage and moved towards the door with his Pokémon following him and saw Team Rocket staring at their completely wrecked helicopter. Gyarados was gone as well, so he assumed that James returned him while fleeing.

"Nice try, but I knew you might go to catch them again, so Brock had Onix wreck your helicopter," he explained with a grin.

Jessie glared up at the escaping flock and then at all six of the opposing group's Pokémon, who were still able to fight, even if they were tired. She only had Arbok left, and Meowth was exhausted from having to run for so long away from Pikachu. James had Zubat, but if he felt that she was ready for battle, he'd have used her already.

She glanced back at the sheer cliff behind her and took out her Poké Ball, "Looks like it's time Team Rocket blasted off."

Throwing the Poké Ball out, she grabbed Meowth and trusted James to get himself over to Arbok himself. Hooking one arm around the Cobra Pokémon's hood, she pressed herself against her Pokémon's back while Arbok wrapped the end of her tail around James's waist to drag him along.

Jumping through the air, Arbok dove down and burrowed through the ground, taking the trio with her.

Ash held up his confidence for a moment after they disappeared before letting out a sigh of relief. His Pokémon visibly sagged in exhaustion from the rough battle, glad that it was over. He turned to address Geodude and his Pokémon, except Pikachu and Butterfree.

"You all did great," he praised as he held out the four Poké Balls in his two hands. "You all take a good, long rest. Return."

Once the beams pulled their Pokémon into the spheres, he handed Geodude back to Brock, "Your Geodude was amazing against Arbok. He used Strength and even learned a way to use Harden while still moving."

As he hooked his own Poké Balls back to his belt, a hand rested on his shoulder getting his attention.

"Hey."

He turned around to see Misty handing back his Super Potion as she looked out over the surrounding mountains.

"Thanks."

Ash blinked, but took the medicine and moved to put it away in his bag, "Don't mention it. Thanks for getting the door."

"That was only because both Staryu and Starmie got knocked out," she replied in a slightly angry tone.

The Pallet Trainer seemed to deliberate as he zipped his bag closed before saying, "You would've won against Weezing if Meowth hadn't-"

Misty let out an annoyed sigh, "Ash, just… stop. I lost."

Brock looked where Butterfree was hovering and lightly gasped when he saw the pink Butterfree performing gentle swaying motions in the air before Ash's.

"Ash, Misty, look!" Brock called, bringing their attention forward right as Butterfree joined in the dance, the two Pokémon moving in a circle as if performing a flying waltz.

The Pallet Trainer's face lit up with a bright grin at the sight, "Good for you, Butterfree."

* * *

Mankey hovered near Fearow's bandaged form rested atop a folded sleeping bag, worried for the Beak Pokémon. He'd patched her up just like James had taught him when he was assigned to wait at the balloon. Meowth would've been a better choice, but it would've been too suspicious for the feline agent to be missing from his partners' side.

He took another rice ball from the packed lunch that James had made him and nibbled on it to take the edge off his anxiety. The Fighting-type couldn't concentrate on meditating with Fearow still unconscious. From her state on arrival, he guessed that she had lost a lot of blood on the way back.

When he heard the sound of earth splitting, he turned to see Arbok emerge from the wall of the valley, slithering downward with Jessie clinging to her back, Meowth in the girl's arm and James wrapped in her tail.

"[Over here!]" he called, knowing that at least Meowth would understand. "[I patched Fearow up as best as I could, but I need somebody to check over her.]"

Meowth relayed this to Jessie, who immediately dropped the feline agent and jumped off Arbok's back to the ground below. Running over, she examined the bandages that Mankey had applied and propped up Fearow's head to touch two fingers to her neck.

"She'll live," Jessie announced. "Fearow won't be flying for a while, though."

"[She said that she took 'him' down,]" Mankey informed.

After Meowth translated, James tapped a finger to his chin, "Pidgeot _was_ notably absent from the battle in the warehouse."

"Good work, Fearow," Jessie praised before recalling her, bandages and all. She abruptly stood up and said, "Our mass raid failed, the twerps freed all of the Butterfree and even smashed our helicopter. Just as you said they would, James."

She reached down the front of her uniform, still facing away from James and Meowth as she took out a shrunken Poké Ball from inside her undershirt, "Time for our secret weapon to pay off."

* * *

"A team? With all due respect, Boss, we've been over this before."

"I'm aware of your stand on teams," the leader granted as he steepled his fingers. "But in this case, these would not 'slow you down', as you've tactfully put it in the past. You're the only apprentice Petrel ever directly took on, and Squad 13 has the uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time. Their team is already decent now, but it would be better if you decided to join. Besides, I also know how you feel about using your talents for simple reconnaissance. Infiltration missions are so few and far in between, after all."

"…I'll think about it while I read their mission file. Thirteen, you said?"

Giovanni internally smiled and replied, "It's already been checked out, unfortunately. I believe the current holder is at his barracks—B-Wing, Room 9, I believe." By arranging for this particular agent last, he could force a meeting with the other prospective field agents. Not a guarantee, but it tilted the odds slightly more in his favor.

He could tell the person in front of him knew that from the flat look he received, but the leader simply stared stoically back, practically daring for a complaint to give an excuse for outright reassignment instead. The agent simply turned around and left, likely headed for the barracks.

He had heard from Matori that Jessie and James had called about their most recent mission, so he ordered a copy of their report to be made already and sent to their mission file in the prospective field agents' hands while he received the news and confirmed whether or not Squad 13 had earned their promotion.

Even if they failed, he could still use the resources elsewhere. There were other teams that had been around for longer, and some were even already at Officer rank, so the transfer to Field Commander wouldn't be too difficult.

* * *

Ash and co. stood on a cliff overlooking the ocean, the sunset painting the view in its orange glow. The flock was already departing over the sea to their next destination. Butterfree and his mate were across from the trio, standing on the ground.

Ash had already triggered the release function on his Poké Ball. He planned to have the shrunken sphere attached to a necklace later to remember his first caught Pokémon by, but for now it was fixed to its old spot on his belt.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "So, I guess you have to go now."

Butterfree nodded, slight sadness in his tone as he replied, "[Yes…]"

"They have to leave, to start their new family," Brock added.

Misty offered a small smile, "We'll miss you, Butterfree."

Ash stepped forward and got down on one knee before the two Pokémon. He turned to the pink one, "This is a great Butterfree, so take care of him for me."

The pink Butterfree nodded back while Ash turned to his Pokémon. Butterfree looked sad to go, and his Trainer smiled back.

"I'll always remember you, Butterfree. Who knows? We might meet again during my journey." With his expression becoming a bit wistful, he patted him on the head and said, "Take care, buddy."

"Aww, isn't this just a heartwarming moment?" a feminine voice asked behind them.

The Trainer trio started and turned to see Jessie, James and Meowth. Ash stood again with his expression set in determination and Butterfree fluttered forward protectively.

Jessie smirked, "Team Rocket-"

"-is back-" James added with his red rose held up.

The feline agent grinned, "-ta finish this."

"You have to be joking," Brock retorted. "Your helicopter's shot, and your balloon isn't nearly durable enough to stand up to that many Butterfree."

Jessie chuckled as she looked at the pink Butterfree still on the ground behind Ash, "We couldn't care less about the common Pokémon. We came to take back what's ours."

Misty took out a Poké Ball, thinking that she might be able to have Goldeen bring a wave of the ocean high enough to the cliff. She retorted, "There's no _way_ you'll get away with stealing Butterfree's mate with all three of us here."

James raised an eyebrow at the word "mate", and then closed his eyes with a sigh, "I almost feel bad to tell you that we already have." He held out a hand and beckoned to the pink Pokémon, "Come now, show's over."

To the Trainers' shock, the pink Butterfree fluttered over and docilely perched on James' shoulder. Pikachu and Butterfree called out in confusion, but the Pokémon just glowed white. Her body morphed until the light faded and revealed a mass of pink sludge with two nubs for arms and a simple face comprised of two beady eyes and a curvy line for its mouth.

"Dit-to!" it said in greeting, shocking all of the Trainers and Pokémon gathered.

None of them could say anything as Meowth smugly laughed, "Ha-ha-ha-ha! So ya see, we tricked ya. We caught da _real_ pink Butterfree in a Poké Ball at da warehouse and had Ditto here slip in and transform ta look like it."

"Once you thought you had won, it was a simple matter to get the Poké Ball to where we kept our balloon and transfer the little Butterfree to the Boss," Jessie added as she reveled in the Trainers' completely stricken expressions.

James wasn't so happy, but he decided to take out a smoke bomb while adding, "Until we meet ag-gaa-ain…?!"

His last word came out strained, and Team Rocket suddenly felt an invisible iron grip on their bodies, being contorted into odd positions. Ditto wasn't spared either, being compressed against its perch as its face scrunched in discomfort. The ball in James hand shot outward, exploding uselessly in a cloud of smoke upon impact with the ocean.

"Wh-wh-what's going on?!" the male agent stuttered in surprise through his forcibly clenched jaw. "I'm f-f-frozen!"

"M-m-me too!" Jessie added.

Meowth's eyes darted around trying to find the source, "H-h-how?!"

* * *

He wouldn't let them get away unscathed.

That was the only thought that went through Butterfree's mind at that moment. It was all he could focus on. His mind had been a storm of emotions since what he thought was his would-be mate left to Team Rocket's side. Confusion first before shock froze him at the transformation. After that, depression and guilt fought for dominance when he realized that he'd failed to save her. But seeing them about to make their escape had made all of his mind focus to one thing.

Pure rage.

With the aforementioned thought in mind, something in him had snapped. Butterfree willed them to freeze, and they did. He pressed the impostor against its perch on James' shoulder and bent the three criminals to test his new power. Figuring that it was maintained by their being in his sight, he got rid of the smoke bomb so he didn't accidentally detonate it.

They were at his mercy. He knew that he could kill them, but he couldn't muster the will to make it reality like freezing them. It wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't bring her back.

So instead, he willed them into the air, a blue glow covering them as he concentrated harder. Whipping them back down, he slammed them into the rocky ground. Then he picked them up and slammed them harder, leaving vague imprints in the dirt before dragging them along. Once he brought them back forward, he lifted them up and looked at their injured state before turning around and flinging them over the ocean as hard as he could.

As he watched them fly out, he noticed his Trainer and his companions still hadn't quite gotten over their shock from the truth of today's events. Compounding that with the brutality they just witnessed probably didn't help.

But Butterfree didn't really care about that. He felt his power fade to a thrum in the back of his mind as he turned away from the sunset, the other Butterfree leaving to the horizon. His feet touched down to the ground and the Butterfly Pokémon trembled as he felt the reality sink in with his rage diminished.

Even with that small revenge enacted, he had still lost her.

* * *

Ash snapped out of his shock first when Butterfree started shaking on the ground. He stepped towards his first caught Pokémon.

There was nothing Ash could say. Any apologies or words of comfort he could offer sounded hollow to his own ears. All he could offer was his promise to share the pain, and the Trainer felt that it wasn't even close to enough.

He arrived and got on one knee behind Butterfree.

* * *

Butterfree felt arms wrap around his body, carefully so as to not damage his wings. He saw the green fingerless gloves and knew who it was. No words were exchanged, but Butterfree felt something. He could feel that his Trainer was hurting just as much as him. Ash was literally emanating sympathy for his plight, as a palpable communication. If he weren't so heartbroken, Butterfree probably would've wanted to look into that with his new powers.

The Butterfly Pokémon felt that, in time, he would appreciate the gesture, both the hug and surge of emotion. But right now he wanted to be alone.

Turning around, Ash loosening his embrace to allow it, Butterfree moved under his Trainer's jacket and took his own Poké Ball, expanding it to re-capture himself.

* * *

Once Butterfree disappeared and the newly reoccupied Poké Ball clacked to the ground, not stirring as its red light glowed, time seemed to move again. Pikachu started crying out as the loss set in and Misty and Brock shuddered as they let out their own tears. Ash shrunk Butterfree's Poké Ball to hook it back to his belt before adjusting his hat and turning around to make his way to the Electric Pokémon.

The Pallet Trainer picked up Pikachu and held him, trying to comfort him, "I'm right here, Pikachu…"

He didn't bother saying that it was okay, because it _wasn't_ , and wouldn't even think about asking Pikachu not to cry. The Trainer wanted to cry too. He wanted to scream. He had failed. He'd failed Butterfree right when it counted most. Even with everything he had done to stop the trio, they remained one step ahead.

In fact, cry and scream were understatements. Once the shock had worn off, Ash felt like he could collapse at any moment. He _wanted_ to, but he couldn't. He wouldn't let himself.

The instant that Ash had seen Butterfree land on the ground crying, all thoughts of his own pain left him. And now he had to comfort Pikachu. He couldn't do that if he was a sobbing wreck himself.

'I can't afford to lose my head now,' he told himself, forcing his tears back and trying to breathe evenly, glad for his hat hiding his eyes from his friends. Ash cradled his first Pokémon who sobbed into his chest. 'I need to be there for Butterfree when he's ready, and Pikachu needs me _now_.'

He turned on his heel and started walking, and Brock noticed how rigid he moved. He held out his hand, "Ash…?"

The Pallet Trainer paused only long enough to say, "Let's just keep going. We still have a lot of ground to cover before reaching Saffron City." He continued on, soothing his Pokémon like his mother used to do to him, "Shh… Shh… Just let it all out…"

Misty and Brock wiped their eyes before following.

* * *

"Just our luck," Jessie tiredly grumbled as she and her partners sailed over the ocean. "Our big victory made our opponent even stronger."

James looked up at the sky blurring past from their flight, "Let's just hope it was worth it."

He said that for more than one reason. While he would've gone through with the plan anyway had he known the ramifications, he hoped that it would mean their promotion. Firstly because the especially cruel action would mean something instead of just being another mission, and second, they'd need the extra help.

After today, Ash would either break or relentlessly fight them with all the power he could muster. Before, they'd been recurring baddies he'd felt obligated to stop. But now James could tell that they'd made themselves and possibly the organization arch-enemies in the eyes of the Trainer from Pallet.

Regardless, he took out his golden Poké Ball and noticed they were about to hit the water, "Deep breath, everybody." It had been a few hours since the battle, and the water would help revitalize Gyarados further, so he felt the sea serpent wouldn't have any problems getting them back to where they'd moved the balloon.

* * *

 **Notes:**

 **1\. Jigglypuff have low defenses, but tons of health. This is my interpretation on why that is.**

 **2\. Changed some dialogue around involving Brock's explanation on the Butterfree's mating season since it's later revealed that they lay their eggs on Mt. Quena, as James said.**

 **3\. This was literally the _only_ explanation I could come up with for there being a warehouse in the middle of freakin' nowhere.**

 **And that's it. This chapter came out sooner because I've had it in the works for quite a long time. Almost as long as I've been working on this fanfiction, as a matter of fact. It hurt to write it, but it was the way things went.**

 **I've accepted that I'm likely going to get some backlash for this one, even if I mysteriously didn't when I wrote the Squirtle Squad chapter. So don't hold back.**

 **The next chapter is already partly done as well, so it'll probably be ready soon.**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AeroJester203**


	25. Chapter 25: Aftermath

**This chapter is being posted at the same time as a BtS chapter that's occurring during this one's events.**

 **Review Responses:**

 ** _lalalei_** **: Yeah, the pink Butterfree came from Pinkan Island. That's why Team Rocket was excited about confirmation that the island exists.**

 ** _Ardtornismyname_** **: We'll see.**

 ** _Fox McCloude_** **: Thanks for the compliment.**

 **In regards to the immunities, they hadn't come up yet as a factor, but I planned on including them. As for the Fairy-type, thanks for reminding me about that, as I might've forgotten.**

 ** _Venomous dragons bite_** **: A Dark-type would help, but that's not in the cards right now. Sorry.**

 ** _Guest_** **(July 22nd): That would be an interesting end, but you'll have to wait and see like everybody else.**

 ** _Bored321_** **(Answered via PM): In order:**

 **2\. Yes, Dalton is the new agent's brother. Only the crossover BtS chapters are non-canon.**

 **3a. Misty was averse to revealing her anger because it would imply that she cares about Ash and his Pokémon.**

 **3b. Ash wanted to make sure that Butterfree left with no regrets if he chose to stay with them.**

 **4\. He can still be very rash, especially when he's angry.**

 **5a. Animal courtship is much different than human dating. Butterfree fell in love with the pink one, and one-sided attraction that it may be, he decided to try impressing her, much like a male would in the wild (with strength, color or some other attribute). She wasn't interested since she saw him as inexperienced. In any case, the loss isn't so much about how long he knew her, but of the potential future stolen away.**

 **5b. Indeed, it's the same stable runner who owned Cal (that's the Machoke's nickname).**

 **6\. She'd wound somebody with that knife. After all, she _did_ tell Cortez that knives are weapons, not for posturing. But I feel that she'd limit it to non-lethal strikes on the Pokémon. Giovanni has strict limitations on killing, and _never_ directly.**

 **7a. They had to return Ditto anyway. And remember that the TRio are still themselves. They like to gloat over their victories. Plus, Jessie in particular would want to rub it in Ash and co.'s face and she has a tendency to "overrule" James and Meowth's votes.**

 **7b. Shiny Pokémon have no buffs to their stats, simply more visually appealing. But they're such a rarity that, as you said, Team Rocket can auction them off at a high price.**

 **7c. That particular helicopter was made by Jessie and Meowth, made to look like a helicopter, fly like a helicopter, but at a fraction of the cost with a lot of the safety features ignored and probably a smaller, more efficient motor to make room on the inside for the pole with the collapsed butterfly net to be stored. They didn't expect to be able to keep it.**

 **8\. He's their teammate. They care a lot about what he's feeling. With Pikachu, not only has he known Butterfree longer than anybody else on the team, he's still young (from what I can tell) and emotional. He's gotten better at controlling his fear, but hasn't had to deal much with sadness. Also, while Ash has been through a lot in his approx. 3 months of journeying, he's still only 11 and this is the first loss that's heavily affected one of his Pokémon. He cares about each of his Pokémon a lot, and now one of them is heartbroken with another despairing over said heartbreak.**

 **9-11a. I suppose I was being a bit hard on myself since the scene was fresh in my mind. Plus, nostalgia may have made it seem more prominent than it was. Anyway, my main problem is that the touching goodbye scene is now tainted forever in my mind.**

 **11b. More like they had a back-up plan. Team Rocket would've gladly taken all of the Butterfree if they could get away with it. Pokémon are Pokémon, and the grunts always need more of those. Especially with Butterfree's ability to use powder moves. But they don't usually seem to gather in groups except for their mating season, so capturing a massive amount of them would usually be more trouble than its worth.**

 ** _guest_** **: In Chapter 10, it was established that Ash could exchange his Pokémon for ones back at Professor Oak's Pokémon corral by pressing a certain button on his Pokédex. And I don't know what other word I can use besides "switch." And the earlier training session established that Bulbasaur was back at Professor Oak's, so switching Jigglypuff for him would imply that he sent her back in his stead. There's also the fact that he always takes out his Pokédex before switching one from his team for one at Oak's. Perhaps it's not _abundantly_ clear, but I feel that it's clear enough.**

 ** _TheShadowOfZama_** **: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. As for a Dark or Ghost-type, we'll see.**

 ** _Snoozing Lurker_** **: In order:**

 **1\. True, Shock Wave would (presumably) be able to be redirected to hit Staryu, even when shrunken.**

 **2\. Again, true. Breaking Goldeen's concentration is one way, but that'll go away with practice. Still, a strong enough wind can make it harder to hold together, electricity would light the whole thing up, enough fire would be able to boil it, an ice attack would freeze it, Sludge would be able to contaminate it, and probably a few other strategies that don't readily come to mind.**

 **3\. Yeah, she and Ash get along well since he lets her battle.**

 **4\. At least it's progress.**

 **5b. Well, I can't exactly deny that. I imagine others would want to catch it too if they knew about it.**

 **5c. It was, but as stated above, Team Rocket loves to gloat over their victories. And even without that, Jessie would've wanted to rub it in Ash's face, and her vote tends to carry more "kick" to it.**

 **6\. We'll see.**

 ** _TheHolyBlade_** **: I'm glad that you enjoyed.**

 ** _jaguarspot_** **: With every cloud, there's a silver lining.**

 ** _BbK2442_** **: Well, you won't have to wait any longer now.**

 ** _pandoraElf_** **: Thank you, I'm glad I could surprise you.**

 ** _Accalia_** **: Butterfree might be in the midst of despair, but he wouldn't blame Ash for Team Rocket's victory. There's no way either of them could've known.**

 ** _Cjonwalrus_** **: Aw, you flatter me~**

 ** _BrightNova169_** **(Answered via PM): In order:**

 **4\. See above for the animal courtship defense.**

 **11\. No, it's not the same Jigglypuff.**

 **12\. Jigglypuff doesn't know Hyper Voice, and Ash isn't even aware of the move's existence at this point. I get that it was likely hyperbole, but just to clarify.**

 **19\. It _could_ happen, but that would be telling.**

 **20\. I talked with Bored321 about my making molehills into mountains in regards to the chapter and my current stand on that is above.**

 ** _Foxypaws3_** **: Well, I suppose that's one way to look at it. To each their own.**

 ** _Guest_** **(July 24th): I understood it well enough, so there was no need to fix it. At the same time, I'm taking down the old review. I don't like duplicates making the reviews section seem larger than it is.**

 ** _The Sinful_** **: Well, if that's your viewpoint, that's fine. But, on the note of the latter part, please don't compare Misty to Akane Tendo. I've read Ranma ½, and I have _never_ seen a more aggravating couple.**

 ** _Theseus_** **: You have my sympathy. It was hard for me to write it.**

 ** _Guest_** **(August 5th): Thank you for such a thorough review, and I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Now, on with the story.**

* * *

Chapter 25: Aftermath

Brock checked his map in the setting sun, noticing that a huge forest wrapped around the southern side of Saffron City. He had already confirmed it several times, but he felt that staring at the map was the only thing protecting him from the atmosphere.

Pikachu had stopped crying and was silently curled up in Ash's arms now, but there was still a palpable aura of despair around the Electric-type. The Trainer wasn't much better, though he'd certainly pretend otherwise if asked.

The Pewter Leader wasn't fooled for an instant. He knew that Ash was torn up inside, but also that he would deny it to his dying breath in front of his Pokémon. After all, Brock himself had experience in that regard. One didn't look after nine younger siblings distraught about their parents leaving without learning to hide pain and anxiety. Such things would only create further worry within his family.

It was almost like looking into a mirror, really, except with Pokémon instead of children.

With that parallel, he had already decided on his course of action by the time they reached the edge of the forest in his map.

Brock folded up the paper and abruptly grabbed Misty's arm, causing her to stop walking in surprise as he said, "You know, Ash, I think that here's good enough to stop and make camp. We don't want to get turned around by going into this huge forest at night."

"Fine with me," the Pallet Trainer replied. "I'm going for a swim." He alternated which arm he held Pikachu with as he took off his backpack one strap at a time. After taking his rebreather and a towel out of the bag, he handed it over, "Could you watch my stuff?"

"Sure," the breeder answered easily.

After a pause of consideration, Ash held Pikachu forward, "Pikachu too? I don't wanna leave him alone while I'm out."

Brock shouldered Ash's smaller backpack beside his own by one strap and accepted Pikachu into his arms with a nod. The Electric-type didn't seem to register the transfer, simply curling up to adjust himself slightly in the new grip.

"Thanks," Ash replied before putting the mask on and tying the towel loosely over his shoulders. After that, he walked off the way they came with his hands in his pockets.

The breeder turned to Misty and tilted his head, "Come on, we need to get some firewood."

He knew that Ash was leaving to be alone and probably vent his emotions. It was encouraging, but didn't change his plans.

* * *

Ash walked along the path hugging the cliff as he stared down at the waves slamming against the rock face dozens of meters below, until he found what he was looking for. There was a raised outcropping towards the bottom a little over the sea with just enough space for him to stand on as well as move around slightly.

Turning and lowering his foot to find purchase on the protruding rocks as he held onto the ridge, Ash started making his way down. Pidgeot was too injured to fly. He could've called out Bulbasaur to lower him down, but he wanted to make the trip himself. It brought back memories of when he and Gary would race each other to climb up trees and small rocky ledges. They both got stuck the first few times they reached the tops of the trees, but eventually learned to get themselves down.

He didn't know how long it took him to get down, and didn't necessarily care. When his foot touched a reasonably flat surface, the Trainer looked down to check his footing and released his grip to stand on his destination. Untying the towel, he set it down on the rock before taking off unnecessary clothes that he didn't want to get wet.

Taking off his jacket, gloves, shoes, socks, hat and belt of Poké Balls, he set them on top of the towel before plucking one sphere off the latter. Popping it open, Bulbasaur emerged on the ground, looking up at him.

"Hey, I'm going swimming, could you watch over my clothes and Pokémon?" Ash asked from behind his rebreather.

Bulbasaur nodded, watching as his Trainer jumped down into the water and swam a short distance away. Even if the boy's face said everything was fine, his movements lacked the energy they usually had.

He knew that his Trainer was more hurt than he let on. After an event like today, he'd be more concerned if there was no change. But if Ash wanted to pretend he was fine for his Pokémon's sake, then Bulbasaur would keep it a secret that he knew.

But soon after Ash disappeared under the surface a distance away, one of his Poké Balls opened by itself. **(1)** The Seed Pokémon saw, but did nothing as Squirtle dove into the ocean since he figured it would wind up for the best.

* * *

Misty stared up at Brock sitting in the branches of a nearby tree, sawing halfway through the various boughs with his survival knife before tugging them the rest of the way off and dropping them down. She had Pikachu in her arms since the breeder needed both hands to work. Ash's backpack was also at the base of the tree where both of them could keep an eye on it.

She looked at Brock expectantly, but he simply continued his task. Eventually, Misty couldn't take the wait and cleared her throat.

"Yes?"

"Wasn't there something you wanted to talk about?" the redhead prompted.

Brock dropped down to land on the ground and began evening out the cut limbs by removing the smaller twigs, "What made you think that?"

"Well, when you said that we needed to gather firewood…"

"I meant that I needed you to hold Pikachu so that I could get it," he explained. "Why? Did you want to try?"

"Are you going to make me say it?" Misty asked in slight frustration. "I _thought_ we were going to talk about how today affects Ash."

Brock looked up for a moment before returning to the branches, taking the next bough to even it out, "I'm surprised you care about how he feels."

The redhead fumed, but looked down at Pikachu in her arms and retorted in a quieter tone than she would usually use, "I'm not _heartless_."

"Well, there's not much to talk about," the elder Leader dismissed. "I already have a plan."

"Well, good," Misty replied. "This behavior of Ash's is really freaking me out. He's acting like nothing's wrong—like he doesn't even care about-"

She suddenly felt a painful jolt in her arms and dropped Pikachu, "AH!"

The electric mouse flopped onto the ground, seeming unconcerned with orienting himself for a landing. He pushed himself upright and leveled a listless glare at the redhead before shambling away in the direction that Ash had gone to.

"You should probably mind what you say about Ash around Pikachu," Brock noted. "He _is_ Ash's Pokémon."

"I didn't mean it like that," Misty defended.

The breeder shrugged, "I know. But it's probably better if Pikachu goes to find Ash anyway. He probably wouldn't want Pikachu to hear what I know. And for the record, Ash cares very much. Maybe a bit too much from what I've noticed."

"What do you mean?"

"I hate to see my Pokémon get hurt, but Ash seems to link his emotional well-being to the state of his Pokémon," Brock explained. "He's happy when they're happy, proud when they're proud of accomplishing a challenge, angry, sad, and so on… And right now, he's heartbroken because Butterfree is."

* * *

Ash didn't try treading water; he just sank down until buoyancy took hold and wouldn't let him down any further without trying to swim down. He breathed softly from his mask, unconcerned about any Pokémon that might be nearby or not.

The boy from Pallet felt like a failure. He hadn't felt so low since the first day of his journey, where Pikachu was hospitalized after protecting him from the flock of Spearow that attacked them.

'What kind of Trainer am I if I can't protect what matters most?' he bitterly asked himself.

Butterfree had been counting on him to help save his mate, and she was the only one that he didn't rescue. His Pokémon was suffering because of him. Pidgeot had protected their balloon by taking the hit, and this was what he had to show for it.

He could feel tears coming out of his eyes as he shut them, but the water surrounding him hid his crying since they immediately dispersed into the ocean. The only visible sign was his shoulders shaking.

The water around him was suddenly disturbed and he lurched away in surprise, bumping into something near his side. Looking down, he spotted a Seel looking up at him curiously. They were smaller than the one he saw at Cerulean Gym, so he guessed that this one was a child, or at least younger.

Seel swam up to eye level, Ash staring back at the young Pokémon observing him closely as they treaded water with lazy sweeps of their tail fin.

The stare lasted for a while, the Trainer too curious about what Seel wanted to blink. Then, without breaking eye contact, the Sea Lion Pokémon swiveled to face Ash upside down with their tongue sticking out.

Caught off guard by the sudden move, Ash snorted and chuckled slightly at the silly display.

The aquatic Pokémon righted themself and clapped their flippers with happiness. They had been wandering when they spotted Ash. Sensing the Trainer's sadness, they tried the same trick their father had used to cheer them up.

Feeling slightly better, Ash reached out and pet the Pokémon's sleek back. The Sea Lion Pokémon nuzzled against him until another clap rang out in a particular pattern.

Both Ash and Seel looked to see another pair of Pokémon, both of them looking similar, but being much larger with white fur all around instead of having a tan muzzle. They also looked more elegant with frilly fins. The Trainer guessed that they were Seel's parents, as well as the evolved form.

"Go on," he said with the mask's speaker letting him talk through the water. "And thanks."

Seel stuck out their tongue again with eyes squinted shut in apparent happiness before swimming off.

The Pallet Trainer watched them go, his heart lighter at the sight of the family.

He sighed again, 'I guess that today wasn't completely pointless, all those wild Butterfree and the other Trainers' Butterfree will be able to live on and start families of their own. Still feels like I let mine down, though.'

Internally, Ash acknowledged how selfish he was being by implying his Butterfree mattered more than all of the others. But the fact was that, to him, Butterfree _was_ that important. Each of his Pokémon meant the world to him, and he wanted to ensure their happiness, even if it wasn't with him. He wouldn't trade his Pokémon's happiness for the others', though. What he _wanted_ was to have saved all of them.

'Already figured out _that's_ impossible,' he remembered while thinking of all the times Team Rocket had defeated him. It wasn't even directly at this point; he could usually fight them off in a battle. He'd tried to outsmart them today, and it had looked like a total defeat for them, but they'd kept an extra Pokémon hidden from him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't save everybody.

His thoughts started taking a dark turn as he remembered how small and broken Butterfree had looked after the beating he delivered to Team Rocket.

Ash rubbed his eyes, taking a deep breath, 'Just getting stronger isn't enough, even if I need to stay ahead of Team Rocket in battle ability. But I don't know what else I can do…'

Briefly, the Pallet Trainer pondered what he had to use against Team Rocket. Not much, besides his Pokémon. Was the answer to catch lots of them?

'If it were that simple, they wouldn't be that much of a threat,' he mentally retorted while dragging his hand over his face, mindful of his mask. 'Besides, I can only carry six at a time.'

Ash was startled out of his train of thought when he felt a small hand on his shoulder. Looking back, he saw Squirtle, his own if he wasn't mistaken. The Tiny Turtle Pokémon pointed up towards the surface, and Ash looked up to see that the light above the water was growing dimmer.

"Ah, it's almost dark," he realized. "Thanks, Squirtle."

* * *

"What Ash needs right now is support," Brock explained while cutting the branches into small logs of wood. "He trusts me, and I'm going to make sure that he recovers from this."

Misty nodded, "All right, and what do I do?"

Raising an eyebrow, he replied, "You? Nothing."

"What do you mean 'nothing'?" she demanded. "He needs help-"

"-that _I'm_ going to give him," the breeder interrupted. "It won't be odd for me to comfort him as his friend."

Then he glanced back at her, "If it's coming from you, then it'll just look like pity. Believe me, that's the last thing he wants right now."

The Cerulean Leader glared at Brock as he went back to his task, "Why wouldn't I help him? I'm-"

"His rival."

Misty stopped at that reminder. The breeder hadn't even looked up from the wood at his knees.

"Don't you remember? After Porta Vista, you said that you two were rivals," he pointed out. "And, in his eyes, you two never really were friends. Do you really think that Ash would see you reaching out to him as anything but pity?"

"Well, what if it is?" the redhead asked. "I just want to help like any decent person would."

Brock briefly stopped cutting, "Would you act kind to him if things had gone differently today?"

Misty took a breath to respond, but found herself stopping as she realized what the answer was. The entire time today, she had refused to pay Ash anything but the most basic of courtesies, all because she didn't want to see him as a friend in light of her defeat. If things had gone well, she would've continued to act the same, maybe training harder after her defeat in the warehouse.

Her fellow Leader seemed to know it too as he cleaned off his knife with a cloth and sheathed it again. "You can try," he offered while bundling up the firewood on one arm and standing up with Ash's backpack in his free hand. "But I can almost guarantee it'll backfire."

As he walked back to the glade where they were going to set up camp, he paused briefly and added, "Take a more subtle approach, and with time you might be able to become a friendly rival with him instead. For now, I recommend you keep doing what you were doing this evening and give him some space. You wasted the chance I gave you at Maiden's Peak, but it's never too late to change."

Misty remained rooted in her spot for a moment before turning around to follow.

* * *

Ash broke the surface of the ocean, looking at the cliff in the fading twilight. He swam closer with Squirtle beside him and got grabbed by a pair of vines while Squirtle dove down and leapt out of the water directly onto the outcropping.

When he was pulled up, his eyes widened at the sight of Pikachu sitting next to the items he'd left behind.

"Pikachu? What happened?" he asked, getting down on one knee once Bulbasaur released him. It was way too soon for Team Rocket to have attacked again, considering the injuries they had after Butterfree got through with them.

The Electric-type didn't reply and simply hopped up to Ash's bent knee before hugging the Trainer at the waist.

"Hey," Ash soothed while lowering his other knee to the ground, "were you worried about me? It's fine, look at me, I'm okay."

Pikachu shook his head while speaking muffled into Ash's wet shirt.

"What do you mean, no?" he asked.

His Pokémon hugged him tighter, his words muffled, "[No, you're not okay… Stop lying…]"

Ash felt sad that Pikachu felt this way, even if he couldn't understand the words, but focused on comforting him.

The scene was interrupted by two of his Poké Balls opening on their own, the energy materializing into Rattata and Pidgeot, the latter still bandaged.

"Pidgeot, you should be resting," the Trainer said, even if it wasn't so much a command as a request.

He felt another hand on his arm and looked to see Squirtle, with his sunglasses back on. After that, the Water-type moved under the limb to hug Ash as well.

"Squirtle?"

Rattata and Bulbasaur moved to either side of him while he was still kneeled down and leaned against their Trainer. Pidgeot also made his way over on foot and took the boy under his wing.

"Everyone…"

Ash looked around, seeing nothing but support in his Pokémon's eyes, the message becoming clear. His Pokémon would always be here for him, the same as he would for them. He tried to hide his pain and be strong so that he could comfort them, but they clearly didn't care if he looked weak. They would comfort each other.

The young Trainer tried to hold it in, but tears welled up. Soon, the dam burst and he started quietly sobbing, half because of the touching gesture, and the other half from the still fresh grief of the day.

His Pokémon huddled closer to share his pain. Bulbasaur and Pidgeot remained stoic while their expressions softened in sadness, Rattata leaned against Ash while slight tears dampened her cheeks and Squirtle only got a little misty-eyed behind his sunglasses. Pikachu cried with his Trainer, the shirt muffling his sobs and soaking up his tears.

Ash was so tired. Tired of always having to battle with such dire stakes, training from sheer necessity instead of having fun on his journey like he always envisioned, and fearing that he would one day run out of luck against Team Rocket and lose everything up to and including his Pokémon.

At this point, even if he wanted to try abandoning his journey that would just cause the trio to attack Pallet Town or wherever he wound up. They wouldn't stop just because he wanted to. Not to mention all of the other Pokémon he inadvertently saved, and the fact that their interest in him meant that he would always be nearby to try stopping whatever plan they had.

But more than that, he couldn't stop. Stopping would mean that they broke him. He would keep going, achieve his dream in spite of their attacks and make them pay. One way or another, he would make sure that they regretted ever choosing to target him.

The Pokémon surrounding him didn't say anything, able to feel the sorrow for the day, love for them and rage for those responsible. They would always be there for him, and they knew that he knew that now.

* * *

As the sun neared the end of its setting, Brock had a campfire going with a pot of stew over it. Misty was nearby as well, leaning against a tree as she stared thoughtfully at the stars.

The breeder stirred the liquid as he planned how to approach Ash depending on what mood he returned in.

'If he still has his façade up, I should get him alone – away from his Pokémon, the ones he's keeping it up for – and confront him over it, using my own experiences as an example. I'll need to be careful, though—let him know that I want to help him and give him some space if he needs it. Being too direct can lead to him getting defensive.

'On the other hand, if he turns up doubtful about his ability to be a Trainer, despite Pikachu being with him, then I need to build his confidence back up, remind him of those that he _has_ been able to save.'

Brock nodded while continuing to tend to the food in front of him and plan different approaches. Meanwhile, Misty's train of thought was more introspective.

The Cerulean Leader had always believed herself to be a generally good person—quick-tempered, she admitted privately, but ultimately more benevolent than mean-spirited.

The question asked of her earlier called that belief into question. Her pride couldn't shield her in this case, as it ultimately always gave the same answer.

'If everything had gone well, and Butterfree had left on the mating season, I would've gone right back to treating Ash as a rival,' she repeated as she had for the entire time Brock had set up the fire and begun cooking dinner.

She shook her head in disbelief, 'Ash is a good Trainer. Why do I hate him for it? I… guess I shouldn't, but I do. Was I always like this…?'

The thought was rather unsettling. She couldn't attribute the root of the issue to anybody but herself, or at least her lifestyle.

Unbidden, her elder sister's words before her Gym battle with Ash crossed her mind, _"Misty, you left pretending you wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer because you couldn't_ compare _with us. Because we're so much more beautiful and talented than you!"_

The redhead instinctively bristled at that memory, but brought her ire under control. She forced herself to acknowledge the point. She _had_ left the Gym to get one over her sisters, who stuck to the Gym, able to say that she had experienced the world and triumphed as a Water Pokémon Master.

'Yeah, _that_ worked out,' she internally grumbled. 'I'm experiencing the world, and getting beaten down by it.' Her mind temporarily drifted to Staryu and Starmie, the two recovering from their injuries by Team Rocket's Pokémon.

Sighing through her nose, the Cerulean Leader tried to console herself, 'At least nobody can ever say I'm bad to my Pokémon… I need to rethink my training, though.

'…And my attitude, I guess,' she added hesitantly. 'At least I don't have to talk with Ash much while I'm working things out.'

As if summoned by her thoughts, the Pallet Trainer walked up the path, his hair damp with his towel over his shoulder and Pikachu walking beside him.

"Ash and Pikachu are back," she reported to Brock, who glanced back to confirm before nodding with a quick thanks.

The younger boy didn't announce his presence and merely sat down across from Brock to warm himself by the fire. Pikachu climbed up and seated himself in Ash's lap, also silent.

"I sent Bulbasaur back to Professor Oak's, to let the others know about what happened," the Trainer eventually announced in a somber tone.

Brock nodded, "That's probably for the best. Better to have them know now than to find out later." The breeder was relieved to see Ash not hiding his grief anymore. Even better was the underlying resolve to his posture, even if he was in a dour mood at the moment.

'Something must have happened at the cliff,' he mused. 'But this is good. With his emotions having a chance to vent, he'll recover, eventually.' Although he still planned to continue with his original plan to stay with Ash. His friend needed him more than ever after today.

With Team Rocket having dealt such a personal blow to him today, the breeder sincerely worried about Ash being left unchecked if he decided to go on his own. He needed to make sure that the Pallet Trainer at least kept him around otherwise the consequences could be disastrous.

Signs were already evident when he nearly had Team Rocket's helicopter taken down with the Butterfree trapped on it. The battles were wearing on Ash and making him more readily pick violence over thought, especially when angry. And the trio's presence alone was enough to get Ash in a rage.

By some miracle, Butterfree had held back, but if things kept getting worse, the Pallet Trainer might one day snap and start trying to kill Jessie, James and Meowth.

If Ash started on that dark path – or, heaven forbid, succeeded – it wouldn't be one he could return from. Whether or not his Pokémon followed, and Brock was certain at least a few would, he would hunt down every agent and accomplice of Team Rocket or die trying.

Brock had to stop that from happening—stay with Ash as a confidant and conscience to prevent him from going off the deep end. Not just for Delia's sake, but for his own too. The breeder would never be able to live with himself if he let his friend throw his life away on vengeance.

Shelving the thoughts for now, he noticed that his stew was just about done and called out to the other two that dinner was ready.

Dinner was had in silence, Ash because of his mood and Misty still in her thoughts. This time, Brock didn't try to bridge it with conversation, feeling that the effort would be wasted as well as counterproductive.

After taking the dishes, the trio took out their sleeping bags to turn in for the night. But while Ash was setting his up, Brock tapped him on the shoulder.

Once he turned around, the Pewter Leader said, "Ash, I'm here for you, too. You know that, right?"

The corner of Ash's mouth lifted, "You mean you'll be my rock?"

Brock tried and failed to stifle a chuckle while covering his face with a hand. "Ash, I'm trying to be serious."

"I know. Thanks," the Trainer replied, smiling slightly before moving to get into his sleeping bag, Pikachu curling up inside as well, to be held by Ash.

Brock nodded, feeling that he'd made his point, and left to sleep as well.

* * *

The morning sun rose over Team Rocket's camp, rousing the trio from sleep. They stood up from their sleeping bags and worked the kinks out of their sore bodies. While they could still move well enough, Jessie had to use and loan her make-up to James in order to cover up the scabbed cuts and healing bruises. Meowth had recovered overnight with a Potion administered due to his higher resilience as a Pokémon. Still, the trio worked to get everything in order.

It wouldn't do to make a poor first impression with injuries.

After waiting for a call last night, Giovanni had called them personally and informed them that they passed their promotion test and would have their new uniforms and subordinates delivered to their location along with their new vessel.

Unfortunately, they had to return Ditto, as other agents used the Transform Pokémon and they couldn't monopolize such an important asset. But nothing could knock down the agents' good mood.

They were going to be Officers, so soon after joining Team Rocket, too. And they were the premier team to try out an experimental rank with their very own subordinates to assist while also able to call on other squads for bigger missions! Not to mention the pay raise that they got.

Jessie triple-checked her face in the mirror and chuckled, "We're moving up in the world, boys."

"Yeah," Meowth replied dreamily with his eyes shut. "Da Boss put his faith in us an' we came through."

James was more pensive as he stared towards the horizon.

Meowth raised an eyebrow, "Penny for yer thoughts?"

"Ash," the male agent responded, turning to his partners. "He'll want revenge for what we've done to his Butterfree. He'll be more determined than ever to stop us at every turn. I can feel it."

"That's the price of success," Jessie shrugged. "We'll have extra help now, and I'll cherish the devastated look on his face for ages."

Meowth seemed to take the prospect more seriously, but replied, "Well, there's no turnin' back now anyway."

"True," the blue-haired agent conceded. Honestly, even if he had known at the time that the pink Butterfree had the eye of Ash's, he probably still would've gone through with the plan. The Pinkan Pokémon was simply too valuable to pass up, even for the sake of avoiding a personal vendetta from their opponent.

With a resigned head tilt, James said, "I suppose you're right—in for a penny, in for a pound. We'll just prepare as best as we can with our new resources."

"That's the spirit!" Jessie encouraged. "Speaking of which, we should get ready to lead the twerps into Saffron's trap building. We should strike while the iron's hot and take Pikachu too."

"With subterfuge," he reminded her.

"Yes, of course," his partner acquiesced. As much as Jessie hated to admit it, Ash was becoming a handful to deal with in direct combat. Worse, his breeder friend seemed to be training up his own Pokémon if Geodude was able to resist and even reverse Arbok's Breaking Bind.

'They'll all be locked away while we make our escape, and nobody will come to save Pikachu this time,' she reassured herself.

Granted, the Trainer could probably break his way out, but it would take time. More time than it would take for her and her teammates to clear out of Saffron City and leave with Pikachu. James had already made a rubber drawstring bag especially for holding the feisty Electric-type.

Meowth suddenly perked up, one of his ears twitching as his eyes opened. He grinned, "Here they come."

A few moments later, Jessie's highly trained hearing picked up the distant sound of propellers droning, sounding like more than one. "Sounds like they're coming on our new ride."

James pouted a bit at being the only member of the team without above average hearing, but took comfort in the fact that he would presumably no longer be alone in that regard.

The sound of propeller engines soon reached his ears too and they looked to see an airship arrive over the valley before dropping down in a clearing large enough to accommodate.

Standing twice as tall as their hot air balloon and many times larger, clad in gunmetal grey plating, the airship had two propellers spinning in each wing, one in the center and one at the end and both held in rings on pivots so that they could rotate. Two more were fixed to each half of the underside, anterior and posterior to the wings in the middle of the ship. The nose of the ship had tinted glass windows allowing whoever was piloting to see. The bottom protruded slightly and was made of similar glass to the cockpit's window with metal hatches in the center. A thick metal door near the front with ladder rungs running up the side to it marked the entrance and faced them as the aircraft descended.

Each of the propellers span at a slower pace than before to gently lower the ship to the ground as metal plates on rods extended to operate as landing gear. Once it touched down, the engines cut off while Team Rocket was still staring in awe at the airship.

" _That's_ for us…?" James asked quietly.

Jessie regained her bearings and cleared her throat, "Quit gawking. We've gotten our due; now look alive for our new squadmates."

Her two partners quickly picked up their jaws and composed themselves as the hatches on the bottom opened downward with a metal cranking noise, revealing a short metal slab that jutted from the rear of the opening, from inside the ship. The slab extended, revealing a long ramp that moved down to prop against the ground as it extended at a shallow angle.

While it did so, the door near the front of the ship opened up, revealing a female grunt with long, straight pink hair in the standard uniform, save for wearing pants instead of the female uniform's skirt.

"Heeeeeey!" she greeted as she waved merrily at her new superiors and hopped down to the ground, ignoring the ladder.

Four more agents made their way down the fully extended ramp, all of them appearing male with varying builds. The one in the lead had a box tucked under his left arm and promptly walked up to the trio with the others fanning out behind him.

With a salute, he said, "Squad 13 assistant agents reporting for duty!" Proffering the package, he added, "Your new uniforms are in here, you may change into them at your convenience."

Jessie accepted the item with a smile, eager for the new colors to show their rank. Modified Grunt uniforms were one thing, but Officer uniforms displayed a whole new kind of superiority to the average agent.

The subordinate who spoke joined the others on the far right while the pilot arrived and took her place on the far left.

Signaling James with a tilt of her head, she said, "Meowth, brief them on standard procedure around here. We're going to go get changed."

Rolling his eyes, the feline agent agreed and the two teens left to turn the corner for some privacy. Taking a cursory glance at the new helpers, he noted that most of them were teens with the bulkiest seeming to be in his late twenties.

Still, he had their attention, so he began explaining how Squad 13 spent their days. He went over hunting for leads on rare and/or powerful Pokémon or anything else to make some money for the organization, usually by following Ash, meal times, training of Pokémon, the usual time for lights out and several other minutiae of protocol.

* * *

Jessie and James looked at the uniforms they received, noting that unlike their previous uniforms, the male and female models were definitively different from each other.

The male uniform had a sleeveless navy blue undershirt with a silver vest, the latter with the emblem emblazoned on the front, split in half by the opening. A belt was also included with holsters for up to six Poké Balls. The pants had no practical pockets and were clearly meant to be form fitting, along with the stretchy wristbands. All in all, the uniform was meant to display muscles that James didn't have.

Meanwhile, the female uniform was far more conservative with a long sleeve navy undershirt and a short sleeve blazer in silver with the letter on the front. A pair of leggings colored the same as the undershirt was folded on top of a silver hakama-like bottom with red at the bottom, allowing for a loose fit with little mobility reduced. It was appealing to her femininity, but wouldn't work at all with her fighting style.

From the pairs of shoes in their sizes, it was clear who was supposed to receive which outfit. Both agents held up their respective outfits with dissatisfied expressions and looked to each other with raised eyebrows.

* * *

"Now, dis Trainer I told ya about, ya said ya read about 'im from our mission file?" A cluster of nods was his answer. "Good. So ya know that if we order ta run, ya take whatever we have captured and get away while we hold 'im off. An' dis is _after_ he finds out about ya. We're gonna work ta keep ya hidden from him for as long as we can. Da longer he don't know, da more times we can pull one over on 'im in our plans."

Another unanimous agreement rang out in reply, and Meowth felt pretty good about getting respect from the new agents. Evidently, they had heard that he was just as important to the team as Jessie and James. That, or they knew that he had an in with the boss's Persian, and thus a small one with the leader himself. Either way, he could work with it.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," James called, prompting everybody to turn to see the duo's return.

Jessie stood imposing in a sleeveless top and tight pants that showed her sleek and powerful limbs along with wristbands that added to the look, her midriff exposed the same as before. A belt was also fastened over her hip and held three Poké Balls within arm's reach along with a bowie knife.

James was more elegant with a long-sleeved uniform and a divided hakama giving him a formal look. He also moved with a more gliding gait, giving the illusion of attending a ceremony. Meowth was slightly surprised since he'd never seen the blue-haired agent move with such grace before.

"Now, let's make this quick," Jessie started. "We need to be in Saffron City before twerp and co. get there. Each of you give your names along with any Pokémon or special talents you have."

The pink-haired pilot eagerly stepped forward first, holding a peace sign up to the side of her head with a wink, "I'm Ella, the pilot, driver, sailor, or whatever I need to get behind the wheel or controls of! No Pokémon, but since I'm driving, I don't really want to get tangled up in battle."

James nodded, "A fair point. Next?"

Ella stepped back and looked to the agent next to her, a redhead with glasses, slapping him on the rear to urge him forward when he looked nervous. Yelping, the grunt made his way forward, clutching the strap of a decent-sized white bag that he had over his shoulder.

"H-Henry…" he greeted. "I'm a m-medic, sort of. I didn't really pass m-m-med school at first, but, uh, I've been learning at HQ, so I can do basic procedures on both p-people and Pokémon. I… don't have any Pokémon, though."

"Dat's fine," Meowth dismissed. "Da last thing we want is our medic bein' close ta da battle where he can get hurt."

The bulky, black-haired agent in the middle tipped his hat from where he stood and said, "The name's Frank. My specialties're cookin' and care of Pokémon. As y'can see, I'm pretty strong too. My Machoke, Cal, an' I go way back in provin' who the strongest on the ranch was. I always lose, but I can give him a run for his money."

"Very nice," Jessie praised. She gestured over her shoulder, "That's a fully stocked hot air balloon. Do you think you can deflate it and bring it into the airship?"

Frank rolled his shoulders in preparation while moving past the trio, "Not a problem, ma'am."

While he did that, they turned their attention to the fourth agent, an agent with navy hair combed over one eye. James raised an eyebrow, "Haven't we seen you before?"

"This is my current face," he answered in a low tone, the timbre making it sound slightly condescending. The agent then let a breath through his nose, as if displeased about something as he took off his hat, "But, if I'm going to be working with you for the time being, I'd better show you my real face so that nobody can slip in saying 'I've lost my mask.'"

With that said he reached for the skin under his chin and tugged, the neck coming apart to reveal more flesh underneath, the eyes becoming hollow and revealing filmy lenses on them with colored contacts. Once the mask was fully off, a female agent was revealed with white hair cut very short in a pixie cut. Her actual eyes were blue, and they regarded the newly promoted officers as he took off the rest of the outfit like a body suit, the uniform around him loosening and falling away to reveal a female grunt uniform underneath.

Everybody watched in fascination, even Frank, who was waiting for the balloon to deflate.

Picking up her hat, the agent greeted in a voice that was more melodious, but no less professional as she put it on, "I'm Charlie, disguise specialist, recon and infiltration agent, and apprentice to Petrel. I have a Pokémon known as Natu that helps me with scanning the memories of my targets so that I may assume their characters. While we work together, I'm going to assume a new identity so that anybody who sees me will not know who I really am."

Meowth nodded, "Very impressive. Da Boss must think dat we can put you ta good use if he included ya on dis team."

"He told me as much."

Turning to the last agent on the far right, a brunet teen with buzzed hair and a small pack fastened to his belt, he saluted while saying, "My name is Burton. I'm experienced with radio technology and scouting, also able to run extremely fast, which helps in the latter regard."

"Define 'extremely fast,'" Jessie prompted. "This is Team Rocket, after all. Fast running is kind of the norm."

Burton lowered his hand with a nod and walked a short distance away from the rest. Sighting the end of the valley that met the border of the ocean, he tapped the ground with the tips of his feet to loosen them up. Next thing the rest of the team knew, he was moving, appearing as a blur for the take off before traveling across the earth at high speeds with a trail of dust left behind. He skidded to a stop once he reached his destination in a matter of moments, then immediately turned around and dashed back to the others' side.

His sudden stop caused a slight gust of wind from his wake to billow the officers' hair.

James gave an impressed nod, "Well. You were right, that _is_ extremely fast."

"I ran errands for two years at HQ. Messenger, deliveries, supply runs—I used it all for training," Burton explained.

"Creative," the blue-haired agent praised.

Jessie clapped her hands to get everyone's attention, "Now, let's see the inside of the ship and talk about dividing up the living quarters."

The group ventured inside, including Frank, who carried the full balloon basket over one shoulder. He said that he was going to take it to the air hangar at the top before splitting off from the team.

Jessie and James looked around, seeing a fairly massive room as the ramp pulled up and the hatches closed behind them. Cages stood against all four walls save the front one, where a computer and transport machine lay, stairs leading upward in all four directions as well.

A crane hung above the trapdoor, and an armored van with a red R on the sides was further back from the hatch with clamps fastening it to the floor of the round metal plate it stood on. A quick testing of the lever next to the platform revealed it to turn the circular plate around. Once it was turned to face the vehicle to where the ramp would go, the three agents nodded in satisfaction.

James commented, "This is a nice central location for meetings. Get a table in here, bolt it down and we've got a briefing room."

"Noted," his partner replied. "You all wait here while we familiarize ourselves with the interior. I assume you've had time to get acquainted with this ship." Addressing her partners again, she suggested, "Let's start at the rear of the ship and work our way forward and up."

* * *

The three leaders surveyed the rest of the ship while having their subordinates wait. They passed Frank heading down from one of the staircases leading further up and informed him of the new orders. He agreed and went down the next staircase to the holding area/future briefing room.

The rear staircase was the only one to not have a second staircase up, and it held the engine room. It looked to have an electrical generator and had a computer that monitored the power, gas and water levels. Meowth also noted that it was a large space and good for tinkering with inventions where he wouldn't be bothered.

He seemed to have a special project in mind, but didn't say anything when asked.

Near the engine room were a few supply closets with various raw materials, and a room with two beds around the corner. The next door after that had a window installed and a peek inside revealed a kitchen with a similar door visible on the other wall. James was all too happy to examine the facilities. The pantry was stocked with food that, presumably, the other agents had lived off of during their trip, it had a sink and a stove, and he was ecstatic to have a real workspace for cooking.

A quick survey around the rest of the middle floor revealed more bedrooms with the front of the ship not having any supply closets, but possessing two bathrooms with the amenities associated and a small shower in each. Jessie didn't comment, but both her male partners could tell that she appreciated ready access to bathing.

The frontmost hallway narrowed down as it led into the cockpit of the ship, where they closed the door before moving on. But not before James closed the door in the side and grabbed the manual out of the co-pilot's chair to study later. Pilot Ella may be, but it never hurt to have a substitute in case of emergencies.

Once they traveled upstairs, they saw a hangar with another set of hatches installed in the ceiling. Their hot air balloon was rested in a set of brackets made for it and was re-inflating. A helicopter also stood across from their old aircraft with its own braces holding it down.

Meowth giddily laughed, "We're movin' on up!"

* * *

Once the trio returned to their new teammates, they talked about how to divide up the rooms. There were six in total, three on each side on the outer side of the ship whereas the inner portions were held by the storage closets, engine room, kitchen and bathrooms.

Jessie immediately said that she was having her own room and taking one that was closest to the bathrooms. Nobody argued since there were enough rooms to go around.

James and Meowth shared one of the rear ones since it was closest to both the engine room and kitchen. The fact that the two got on well was a bonus as well.

Ella got the other room near the front since she was the pilot and wanted to share a room with Charlie. She tried to show her affection with a hug, but got a hand to the face and a command not to touch her.

After that, the disguise specialist said that she wanted her own room as well since nobody was allowed to see her and Petrel's suits in development unless they were apprenticed. She got one of the central rooms.

The trio agreed that Henry should have his own room as well since it could operate as the unofficial med bay as well, with the spare bed able to hold a patient. He got the other central room since it was right near the staircase to the holding area, where agents typically boarded, and thus would be carrying an injured teammate that way.

That left the other rear room to Burton and Frank, but neither seemed to mind the development. They were both men and didn't mind having to share their space.

With that decided, Ella volunteered to start flying them near Saffron City to land near its outskirts. They would have to fly really high to avoid being spotted by anybody in the city, so she said that it would take time.

James asked if the subordinates had breakfast yet and decided to make some for everybody when he received negative answers.

Once they were dismissed, the rest of the subordinates left to do their own things as the ship started taking off. The ascent was rather smooth, so while there was a downward press of gravity, they had little trouble moving.

Meowth slipped off himself to get something from the balloon for his project, but looking up at the aircraft, he was struck by a wave of nostalgia as he realized that they wouldn't have much reason to use it anymore with the airship and helicopter.

'Still, maybe we don't hafta get rid of it,' he decided as he rooted through the basket. Coming up with his special wire frame gloves, Meowth added renovations to the balloon as part of his to-do list.

'Hmm… Maybe, wit' all these projects I got going, I could take up the job of engineer. I built da chopper with Jessie's help, and it's actually kinda fun ta put those things together.'

Looking down at the gloves in his paws, he added, 'But foist, I gotta get some five-fingered assistance…'

Making his way down the side staircase, Meowth took a turn to the rear of the ship and went into the engine room after making a stop at the supply closet after a stop for some metal and iron threads, an adjustable clamp, tongs and a blow torch with a protective mask for his eyes.

* * *

 **Bit of a short chapter, but this is, by definition, simply an aftermath of what happened in the previous chapter.**

 **Notes:**

 **1\. From what I've gathered, any Pokémon can open the Poké Ball from the inside if they try hard enough. Psychic-types or those with psychic powers seem to have an easier time of it, but Ash's Pokémon all managed it in _Snow Way Out_.**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	26. Chapter 26: Stranger than Fiction

**Review Responses:**

 ** _Sweetiepie13_** **: You're welcome, and thank you.**

 ** _Fox McCloude_** **: Thanks, I'm glad that you enjoyed.**

 ** _TheShadowOfZama_** **: Well, I'm happy that I managed to achieve such a feat, and I hope you continue to enjoy my story.**

 ** _Snoozing Lurker_** **: We'll continue to see more of the TRio's subordinates as time goes on. And remember that James said they would get Pikachu in Saffron with subterfuge, not direct confrontation.**

 ** _RagingSoul_** **(Answered via PM): First, thanks for the praise. :)**

 **Second, while I don't usually answer such questions directly, let me answer with another question: Do you think that this iteration of Ash would pass up training a special talent that would give him an edge against Team Rocket, especially one as versatile as aura?**

 ** _BbK2442_** **: Yes, as far back as when I was planning the past two chapters, it was always going to be a major turning point of Ash's development and the story.**

 ** _BrightNova169_** **(Answered via PM): In order.**

 **2\. Yeah, the other losses didn't affect his Pokémon directly, but this one did, and he feels the loss much more keenly because of that. Also, yes, it's in part because of his latent aura potential. Remember the end of the last chapter where Butterfree could feel him "emanating" sympathy?**

 **6\. Ash keeps track of those things well enough. With hard work, he's become a gifted battler. Although it couldn't hurt to strategize with Brock and Misty if they got closer.**

 **8\. That could be a possibility. I don't think they could do much besides keep an eye out. Gym Leaders and the Four can't be everywhere, and Team Rocket regularly runs circles around the police force. Those agents that get caught are usually bottom tier and thus don't know anything consequential. And those that can't escape confinement on their own merit are usually left behind by Giovanni.**

 **11\. They don't necessarily control the _entire_ city. Giovanni has the president of Silph Co. in his pocket, the same as Silph Co. runs most of Saffron City and its economy. Still, they only really have the control that they do since Sabrina has isolated herself. Even the trap building they're talking about is technically a warehouse owned by Silph Co. They just use the warp tile to trap unwary Trainers.**

 **Furthermore, Silph Co. is controlled because of Giovanni. Remember that Team Rocket offers those who work with them a position of power. For the president, who already has power, it's modified to permission to _keep_ that power instead of being taken over. He's also paid to turn a blind eye and help allay the suspicions of police officers when agents are in the city. The transactions are recorded, so if the president rats Giovanni out, he'll expose himself as accepting bribes, as well as losing his company if Giovanni decides to strike back.**

 ** _jaguarspot_** **(Answered via PM): The sixth Pokémon on his team was Butterfree, who was still grieving inside of his Poké Ball at that time.**

 ** _Accalia_** **: We'll see.**

 ** _Grey917_** **(Chapter 24): I'm glad that you enjoyed, and I'm sure that achieving such a state with you is a high achievement, so I'll take it as a compliment.**

 **On with the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 26: Stranger than Fiction

Ash, Brock and Misty made their way through the forest, having been traveling for several hours, only stopping once to break for lunch and a few more brief stops to rest. The canopy of the trees was very dense, practically blotting out the sky and leaving mere patches of sunlight peeking through.

Regardless, the Pallet Trainer continued leading the way with nothing but instinct and his walking stick to check for traps, hoping that they would eventually reach their destination. He'd brought back Jigglypuff and Bulbasaur that morning, switching out Rattata for the latter.

They'd encountered a few Pokémon in the woods, mainly forest Pokémon like Pidgey, Pidgeotto and Rattata, though there were a few Oddish. But one time during a break, Ash had wandered off since he wasn't quite tired. While looking at the usual Pokémon, he saw another Grass-type among them. They had a stem-like body, leaf hands and a yellow bulb-like head with tiny black eyes. Ash identified them with his Pokédex from behind a tree he and Pikachu used for cover.

 ** _"Bellsprout, the Flower Pokémon. It ensnares tiny insects with its vines for its diet and soaks up much needed moisture with its root feet."_**

He briefly contemplated catching them, debating whether he really needed another Grass-type with Bulbasaur on the team. Then again, their slim body was clearly made for a different fighting style from the Seed Pokémon.

'Much thinner – good for dodging – and upright instead of on all fours,' he analyzed. 'Bulbasaur's always been good for my Grass Pokémon needs, but I should probably have a back-up just in case. I wouldn't want to rely on only him for those things.'

With that in mind, he used Dexter to send Squirtle back to make room for a new teammate. Ash liked to get a bit of personal time with new Pokémon. After that, the Trainer walked away from the tree, scaring away many of the Oddish and Pidgey milling around. Bellsprout turned to him with a confused expression.

"Hi," he greeted with a small smile. It was somewhat hard with his mood from yesterday, but he did his best. "I'm Ash, a Pokémon Trainer. I saw you out here, and was hoping you'd come with me on my journey."

Bellsprout tilted his head, the action causing his slim body to bend slightly as he regarded the boy.

After a brief pause with no answer, Ash asked, "By any chance, do you want a battle first?"

A stare was his only answer, still.

"Take your time, I guess," he shrugged while sitting down to get comfortable, laying his walking stick on the ground and allowing Pikachu to move from his shoulder to his lap. With a little smile at the action, Ash pet his starter on the head, making his heart feel a little lighter while Pikachu closed his eyes with a similar expression at the affection.

The quiet went on for about ten minutes, Ash checking Bellsprout every so often to find him looking back. He'd already made his offer, and if the Flower Pokémon wanted to accept, he'd let him know. Bellsprout was clearly thinking about it, otherwise he'd just leave.

Closing his eyes from that point on, the Pallet Trainer mused on what he could teach his current team at the moment. Pidgeot was out of commission from the Razor Wind that he'd taken. If he weren't then they could just have him find Saffron City and lead them there. Jigglypuff learning Rest seemed like a good next move for some quick healing. Mega Drain was still a work in progress for Bulbasaur as far as he knew. What next, though?

Taking out his Pokédex to find an appropriate move to teach, while still petting Pikachu, he saw one of the later moves on the list, right past Mega Drain.

'Solar Beam… It sounds powerful. Is Bulbasaur ready? Pikachu's mastered Thunder, though. If they're at a similar strength, then he should be able to at least start learning… I'll have to look over the move's description later to see if it gives any clues about it.'

With that decided, he closed his Pokédex and continued waiting with his eyes closed. It was actually rather peaceful, the sounds of the forest surrounding him.

A light screeching sound disrupted the ambience and Ash turned around to see a Zubat flying towards him—Brock's unless a wild one happened to fly all the way out here, far from any caves or mountains.

"Oh, is it time to go?" he asked. The bat nodded and waited to lead him back.

Ash readied his walking stick, standing up while Pikachu climbed to his shoulder, and glanced at Bellsprout to find the Pokémon gone from the ground. A quick look around from both Trainer and Pokémon revealed the plant to be standing on Ash's backpack now, right behind his head.

He raised an eyebrow, "Are you coming with us after all?"

A brief pause before the Flower Pokémon nodded his head.

As the Trainer nodded back and began following Zubat, Pikachu looked back and asked, "[What was with all the waiting, then?]"

"[…Judgment,]" was Bellsprout's one-word reply.

* * *

Once Ash reunited with his companions, he introduced Bellsprout, the Pokémon silent as he regarded Brock and Misty.

The Flower Pokémon now walked alongside the trio and Pikachu at his request, namely a headshake when Ash held up a Poké Ball to catch him. Although Bellsprout still followed along regardless.

As the patches of light began to move to the east signaling the sun in the west, a ringing sound cut their travel short out of surprise.

Remembering his Pokégear, Ash looked down to see it displaying a phone and the word "Mom" on its screen.

"Uh, just a minute, I've gotta take this," he excused to the others, walking off alone with Pikachu still on his shoulder. Bellsprout followed as well, but Ash didn't comment. He hadn't had a chance to talk to him about his situation yet, so he would likely hear enough from the call.

Once he was far enough away, he clicked the green button on the Pokégear along with the black button on its side to put it on speaker so he didn't have to take it off his wrist.

"Hey, mom," he greeted. "Good timing actually, I was probably going to call you soon to talk."

"Hi, Ash," Delia replied. "Sorry, but that'll have to wait. Professor Oak came by today about an especially aggressive training session that Charmander went through last night. He wanted to know if something had happened. I told him it wasn't my decision to tell, so now I'm calling."

Setting aside his slight worry of Charmander exhausting himself, Ash asked, "He's there, then?"

"Yes, do you want to talk to him?"

The Pallet Trainer sighed, "I guess I couldn't hide it forever. Put him on."

There was slight static as the home phone was apparently passed to another hand, and Professor Oak's voice rang out next, "Ash, is that you?"

"Yes, professor."

"What's been going on since we last talked?" he asked. "Nothing ever seemed out of the ordinary until last night. You caught a variety of Pokémon, though small in quantity, and, so I believed, continued your journey without incident."

Ash shrugged, "It never really came up when you were around."

"Be that as it may, care to explain what exactly caused Charmander to section off a part of the corral's quarry with fire and reduce all of the boulders in said area into rubble?"

"Yikes," the Pallet Trainer commented while Pikachu looked equally surprised and a little impressed. "Okay, that was probably about yesterday, but to understand that, I'm going to have to go back to the beginning."

He then recapped his experiences since the call that Professor Oak had made at Viridian City, keeping to the important events for time's sake. He also glanced at Bellsprout to gauge his reaction to the news. He seemed to be paying attention after the mention of Team Rocket, but the Flower Pokémon gave no indication of a reaction either way.

As Ash started getting to his more recent exploits, after the giant Tentacruel, which greatly surprised Professor Oak, he asked to be put on speaker to tell his mom, too.

He explained his encounter with Gastly at Maiden's Peak, omitting the possession and simply saying that he managed to stall the ghost until daybreak where he disappeared for another year.

Skipping the training after that town, he mentioned meeting Jigglypuff and got to yesterday.

"Yesterday was… a personal loss," he explained. "I don't really want to talk about it, but I sent Bulbasaur back last night to let the others know. If it was about anything, Charmander was probably angry about that. Never heard of such an explosive reaction from him, though. Gonna have to talk with him about it."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a while before Ash asked, "Are you still there?"

"Yes, I'm still here. Why did you not call the police instead of taking matters into your own hands against dangerous criminals?"

"If the police could do anything, wouldn't they be caught by now?" the Trainer retorted. "I doubt I'm the first one they've met or attacked. To be fair, I thought about it a couple of times, but they always flee at the first sign of police coming. The last thing I want is to get a reputation for making fake calls to the police stations. Besides, most of the attacks are away from cities or any place with a police station."

He sighed, "I don't like it anymore than you do, professor, but if I don't fight, then I'll lose Pikachu. And at this point, they probably wouldn't stop there. If they could get away with it, they'd rob me blind of every Pokémon I had, regardless of whether or not they'd obey any Rocket agent that got them. They hate me, and the feeling's mutual.

"And _before_ you say that I could have avoided that by not antagonizing them in Viridian City, did you expect me to stand aside and do _nothing_ as they robbed a Pokémon Center?"

A sigh went through the speaker before Oak answered, "I suppose not. Still, putting yourself in constant danger is not a healthy lifestyle. The instant you have eight badges, I want you back here in Pallet Town between then and the regional championships. If you _must_ train, you're doing it in a safe environment and getting away from dealing with all of this."

"All right, I was going to come home afterwards anyways," Ash replied. "Staying in one place is better for training, and where else would I stay?"

Delia chimed in, "I'm glad to hear that, Ash. I can't wait!"

The boy smiled at her excitement and said, "Me either, mom."

"…All right. I wasn't going to point this out to you since I felt it unnecessary, but there's one more function of the Pokédex that most don't know about," Professor Oak said.

Ash blinked and took out Dexter, opening to reveal the buttons, "What's that?"

"Do you see a yellow button in the lower right corner of the right side?"

The Trainer spotted the button in question and reached a finger towards it, "Yeah."

"Don't touch it."

He jerked the finger away, worried that it would trigger something.

Oak cleared his throat, "Now, it's an emergency call function that operates to override the six Pokémon limit imposed on Trainers. Once pressed, it calls all the Pokémon the Trainer owns to deal with an assumed emergency."

His tone became sterner, "It's only temporary, and it's not, I repeat, _not_ to be used lightly. Responsibility aside, you only get three uses a month. No, they do not accumulate over time."

"How long does the time last?" Ash asked, already thinking of how he could use it in dire straits against Team Rocket, such as against a mass attack of agents like the St. Anne if his six Pokémon weren't enough along with (presumably) the other Trainers that were being attacked as well.

"Thirty minutes. In practicality, more than enough time to deal with any conceivable emergency, such as a swarm of aggressive Pokémon. Should you wish to dismiss your Pokémon early, press the yellow button again and they'll be warped back to my lab with the six you had upon making the call remaining with you. Be warned that returning them early does not save you a use."

The Pallet Trainer nodded, "Thank you, Professor Oak. This'll help a lot if I'm ever in a lot of trouble."

"I rather wish you would stay _out_ of trouble, but since you seem dead set on doing what's right instead of what's easy I can only ready you the best I can," the professor replied.

"Like I said, I don't like it anymore than you," Ash grumbled. "But I have to do this. They're a threat to more than just me, and I'm the reason that they've gotten so strong."

"You mustn't place so much blame on yourself," Oak gently admonished.

"Can you put mom back on?"

Another bout of static from the phone being passed, and Delia spoke up, "Yes?"

"I was going to tell you about what happened, but this discussion was kind of draining. Can I tell you tomorrow?" he asked.

"Of course." Ash could practically feel his mother's supportive smile. "I love you, Ash."

"Love you too, mom," he replied with a smile. "Bye."

The Pallet Trainer hung up after that with a sigh. Looking down at Bellsprout with a raised eyebrow, he said, "I won't blame you if you decide to leave. I'll do my best to train you and look after you, but traveling with me still isn't exactly the safest."

Bellsprout shook his head and stayed where he was.

Ash began leading the way back to Misty and Brock, his most recent Pokémon close behind, "All right, if you're sure."

* * *

" _How_ could we have gotten this lost when all we had to do was go _straight_?" Misty complained in disbelief.

"There aren't any real landmarks in this forest," Brock explained. "And it's easy to get turned around when the trees look similar to each other."

The sky above them was dark now, night having fallen a short while ago. Bellsprout was resting on Ash's backpack again with his slim body leaned against the Trainer's head with his leaves hanging onto the hat. While the Flower Pokémon was decently tall, about twice as tall as Pikachu, he was astonishingly light.

"It's getting dark…" Ash noted. Taking out his Pokédex, he decided to send a Pokémon back to Professor Oak's so that he could bring in Charmander to lead the way with his tail flame. Besides, he didn't forget about what he'd been told. He still wanted to talk with the Fire-type about what happened. That kind of rage directed at the wrong target could wind up with somebody getting seriously injured.

But when he selected Bulbasaur to switch out, his eyes widened when he saw a new Pokémon that he didn't recognize on the list of those ready to be sent to him. Charmander was also nowhere to be found.

"Huh." The Trainer showed Pikachu his Pokédex and pointed to the new one, "Pikachu, do you think he…?"

One look at the screen and Pikachu nodded in confirmation.

"Man, I wish I could've seen it," Ash grumbled before shrugging his free shoulder. "Oh well. Let's bring him over anyway."

Making the switch, Ash caught the newly arrived Poké Ball before throwing it into the air with a casual underhanded toss. It opened and the Pokémon inside materialized before him.

The Pokémon clearly looked similar to Charmander, possessing a tail flame as well, only with red scales in place of orange and being quite a bit taller. While the Fire-type formerly came up to a little under Ash's knee, now he stood nearly as tall as Ash's waist. His arms and legs had become longer with slim muscle tone and longer claws instead of the somewhat rounded look of his pre-evolution. The same change was evident on the head, his face more chiseled and angular with a narrower neck that had also slightly lengthened. A single horn-like protrusion had sprouted at the back of his crown and his eyes were less reptilian, having visible white sclera with deep blue irises instead of being all blue and black.

 ** _"Charmeleon, the Flame Pokémon. The evolved form of Charmander. It has razor sharp claws and its tail is exceptionally strong."_**

Charmeleon looked up at Ash and gave a slight grin with a palpable sense of pride emanating from the Fire-type.

The Trainer felt Bellsprout stiffen against his head, and looked up even though he couldn't see the Flower Pokémon past the bill of his hat, "Don't worry, Charmeleon's a friend. He won't hurt you."

The Flame Pokémon looked past Ash's face to the new arrival with mild interest, but paid him little mind when the boy started speaking.

"Now, as you can see, we're a little lost in this dark forest, so I need you to light our way so that we don't get even more confused by not being able to see where we're going," Ash explained while pocketing Dexter.

Charmeleon looked around, seeing that his tail flame already lit the area around them for a few feet. After confirming that, he looked back to Ash and nodded. While not what he imagined his first task as an evolved Pokémon to be, he at least took satisfaction in the fact that it was something only he could do on the team.

Turning around, he held his tail forward in his hand and led the way, the trio of Trainers following close behind. Apparently, he was called out not a moment too soon since a light fog began to settle in.

"Shouldn't we be leading the way with Charmeleon in the center?" Misty asked.

"It's not like _we_ know which direction is right any better than he does," Ash casually dismissed. "At least we don't have to stumble in the dark."

A cheerful laugh rang out through the trees, causing the group to stop as they saw a little girl in a fancy white dress with pink ribbons and a matching sun hat bouncing a ball a short distance away. Dark green hair went down to the small of her back, two locks hanging down over her chest, and her eyes were hidden by the brim of her hat.

"[A kid,]" Charmeleon noted. "[We can't be far from the city, then, or at least someone who knows where it is. Unless she's as lost as we are.]"

"[Either way, we should go to her,]" Pikachu agreed.

Ash stepped forward to call out, "Uh, hello. Do you live around here?"

The girl caught the ball in her hands with another giggle before running off.

"I guess we should follow her?" Brock suggested. "Her family might know where we are if they're locals."

Charmeleon nodded his agreement and led the way in a light jog so as to not lose sight of the girl, mindful of the vegetation he passed by so as to not set it on fire. His longer legs allowed for a more loping gait that made him faster than before despite his size increase.

Giggling at her pursuers, the girl continued her flight before disappearing into the fog and shadows of the forest. Charmeleon kept running, hoping to catch sight of her, only for the fog to part and reveal a cliff.

Eyes widening, he tried to stop, but his last step carried him to the edge, where he lost his balance and fell forward.

Ash was at the edge next and started fumbling for his Poké Ball to recall Charmeleon, but a light weight dropped onto his shoulder where he felt something tightening around.

Glancing to his side, he saw two green vines grow from the backs of Bellsprout's leaves and lash downward before grabbing onto Charmeleon, careful to avoid his tail flame. Feeling a pull on his shoulder, he saw that Bellsprout's roots had extended and wrapped around his entire upper arm for leverage. Bending his stem body backwards as he reeled the Flame Pokémon in, Bellsprout set Charmeleon on the ground beside his Trainer.

The Fire-type panted as he sat on the ground with his tail in his lap, "[Thanks…]"

Bellsprout simply nodded in reply while Ash checked over Charmeleon, "That was close."

Misty looked around, "What about that little girl?"

"She must've left to Saffron City," Brock decided while pointing forward.

The rest of the group looked and saw that they had indeed arrived. Saffron City stood massive with several tall buildings, and all of the buildings lit up the night, as if standing against the darkness of the forest.

After making sure that Charmeleon was okay, Ash returned him and stood up, "Saffron Gym. It's too late for a challenge tonight, but tomorrow I'm going straight there."

* * *

Bellsprout was back on Ash's backpack, this time facing backwards and seated while still leaning against the boy's head as he did some thinking. The group was making their way down the cliff to Saffron City via a winding path, giving him plenty of time.

There didn't seem to be many drawbacks to staying with this one. The boy was kind and patient, at least to his Pokémon from what he'd gathered. He had anger just like anybody else, but it was directed at those that wronged him. And he'd calmly waited while Bellsprout was observing him until it was time to go.

Most would've attacked. Several that he'd met _did_ attack, but none were able to capture him, and they gave up when they realized they couldn't. Bellsprout had vowed, after all, to never be captured again. He had taken his Poké Ball when the others had smashed theirs and never looked back.

But this boy… He was interesting. First off, he asked if Bellsprout wanted to join him. That had thrown him for a loop, though he didn't show it outward. Second, when he didn't answer, he waited instead of attacking or leaving.

Bellsprout wasn't sure why, but when the boy had been about to leave, he felt as if he'd be missing a major opportunity. He wasn't ready to say yes without gathering more information on the strange Trainer, though.

Learning about Charmeleon was a major surprise and almost blew his cover. He never imagined that he'd see the Fire-type again. He could tell it was the same one. Charmeleon carried himself like he used to, admiration for the Trainer, but pride in himself. The Flower Pokémon was actually rather happy that he had found somebody new. He never thought he deserved the treatment he got from Damian after the day they were defeated.

'I guess there can be good Trainers…'

It was different from the "Team Rocket" boy that had freed him from his last Trainer. Despite the newfound freedom, he was keenly aware that the smiling teen that night had just mugged Damian without an ounce of regret.

While it could be said that he deserved it, it didn't change the facts, and Bellsprout didn't want to commit such deeds, not even out of gratitude. Some food and a chance to spread his roots had gotten him re-energized enough to flee.

But this new Trainer…

Sneaking a glance at Ash from around his head, he decided, 'If he took in Charmander, and he trusts him, I suppose I can too.'

Discreetly, so as to not be noticed, Bellsprout pursed his lips shut. The shrunken Poké Ball that he always kept in his head so he couldn't be captured again started corroding as his Acid attack ran over it, dripping down and re-absorbing through the walls of the hollow inside. **(1)**

It would probably give him indigestion to swallow a Poké Ball, even if it was dissolved, but spitting it out to smash it manually would just raise questions he didn't want to answer. As far as anybody else knew, he was just a wild Pokémon.

* * *

On the way down the path, Bellsprout hopped off Ash's backpack to walk on his own, moving slightly behind the Trainer. Soon enough, the group reached Saffron City's gate, the name written on its sign.

Ash looked up at the dizzying heights the towers reached from up close, "Wow, it's even bigger than Vermilion…"

" _Welcome to Saffron City~!_ "

A pair of teen girls with tan skin and long purple and green hair styled into ponytails greeted the trio of Trainers in smart suits with skirts and stockings.

The purple haired girl offered a pamphlet, " _Please take this for all of your questions~!_ "

"We're sure that you're very tired from traveling all day," the green-haired teen said sympathetically. "While we'd ordinarily arrange for a tour of our fine city, why not pay a visit to its Pokémon Center?"

"That'd be nice, thanks," Brock nodded back.

The girl winked, leaving the breeder with a slight blush, "Leave it to the Saffron Tourism Bureau, dears~"

" _Right this way~_ " her companion guided as they led the Trainers to a large, nondescript building with a sign having a red P on it beside the door.

They walked through the automatic glass doors, but didn't see the desk or any signs of a traditional lobby.

Ash's eyes widened, but before he could act, a bag eclipsed the shoulder Pikachu had been on, snatching the Electric-type away before a familiar baritone voice said, "Thank you for your Pikachu!"

He whipped around in time to see a leg slam into his middle, knocking him into Misty and Brock, sending all three to the ground.

Bellsprout was thrown on top of him as another voice said, "You've won a trip through the warp tile!"

Everything went white for a moment before the light faded and he found himself in a room made of blue tiles, the floor underneath him was a different color, a dim purple. He tried hitting it to get it activated again, but there was no result.

"A trap!" he growled. Team Rocket had never attacked in a city before.

Brock looked around, "There aren't any doors or windows in this room."

A feminine voice rang out from a descending monitor, "Bingo. The warp tile is the only way in or out of this room. There's no way to escape."

" _I'll_ be the judge of that," Ash retorted while taking out his Pokédex and bringing Kingler in as his sixth Pokémon since he never caught Bellsprout.

The screen turned on, revealing the two teens from earlier, "Good evening! You're watching the premier _Prepare for Trouble, Make it Double_ _Show_."

While they ducked down below the shot, clothes flying and a standby message appearing onscreen, Ash called out Kingler and ordered, "Kingler, King Crabhammer on these walls! If you find dirt, dig us a tunnel to escape!"

The Pokémon rasped in affirmation as his arm powered up with Strength.

Jessie and James resurfaced in their Officer uniforms, panting slightly from the quick change they had to do. They began their motto, the camera panning along their body from the feet to their faces during the first lines to show off their new clothes. A sinister song even started playing from the monitor for effect. **(2)**

"To protect the world from devastation,"

"To unite all peoples within our nation,"

A massive impact caused them to teeter as the music stopped when they lost their rhythm.

Ash cursed to himself when he saw not even a crack on the tiles, "Keep going, Kingler!"

"Hey!" Jessie called. "Don't interrupt the motto! And stop ignoring us!"

In response, Ash turned around and grabbed the monitor, glaring right into it, "When I get out of here, you're going _down_!"

"You're wasting your time, twerp," she taunted. "That room is specifically reinforced to prevent escape."

"And hands off the equipment," James chastised.

"I'll put my hands wherever I _wanna_ put my hands!" Ash retorted with a punch to the screen, after which the image turned to static.

Bellsprout walked up to Kingler and said, "[I can help.]"

The Pincer Pokémon stepped aside, and Bellsprout's head bulged slightly while he pursed his lips before he spat out a glob of purple Acid at the wall Kingler was trying to break down. It started emitting some sort of vapor as the tile sizzled, and Kingler used Harden on his claw to protect it as he wound up for another King Crabhammer.

* * *

A tremor shook the floor, and Meowth looked down from his position next to Pikachu squirming in the tightly tied rubber bag, his shouts indicating that he was repeatedly trying to zap through the bag as well. Jessie and James were trying to fix the glitching computer.

"We don't got much time," he reminded. "Just forget da motto an' let's get outta here!"

Jessie tsked and powered down the computer, "Reinforced or not, that basement won't hold him forever."

"Let's beat a hasty retreat, then," James added.

They turned around as Meowth grabbed the bag containing Pikachu, but they stopped when they saw a little girl in fancy white clothes.

Jessie frowned, "How did you get into this room, little girl? You don't belong in here."

"You can't just come barging in here," James chastised as he and his partner stepped closer to the girl.

A blue glow surrounded her and the two agents were contorted into odd positions as they found themselves unable to move.

"Wh-what? This ag-g-gain?!" James stammered.

Jessie growled, "Our l-l-luck can't be _this_ b-bad!"

Meowth was still free, though, so he stepped towards the girl and popped out his claws, "Let 'em go right now, or yer face's gonna be a lot less pretty!"

"Hahaha," the girl giggled. "You're funny~"

She lifted her head to look him in the eyes, revealing hers to be still and lifeless like a doll's, "I'm going to make you my friend."

The feline agent only gave a grunt of confusion before screaming as he was lifted up in the air, "Yaah! Put me down!"

She only giggled as her eyes flashed white and Meowth's scream became smaller as his body was enveloped in a similar glow and he shrunk down. His voice eventually vanished and the light faded to reveal a Meowth doll that floated into the girl's arms. It had two large buttons for eyes with a single line of string run through for the slit pupils the feline Pokémon had, and a stitched smile replaced his mouth. The metal band around his tail had been shrunken as well and still hung on his tail.

"M-Meowth!" both of the agents called in horror.

The girl then took the bag containing Pikachu into her other arm and teleported away, leaving the two Rocket officers frozen and unable to move.

* * *

Kingler had broken through the first line of tiles with his reinforced punch, finding that adding Harden to the claw increased the move's destructive power even further. There was another layer underneath the first, and Bellsprout dutifully sprayed Acid on the secondary layer, weakening it in preparation for breaking.

Ash watched while drumming his fingers against his leg nervously. He knew that his Pokémon were going as fast as they could, but every second counted. Urging them to hurry up wouldn't do anything but stress them out.

Before Kingler could break the second layer, a giggling rang out in the room followed by Pikachu calling out.

Immediately whipping around, Ash saw Pikachu running towards him with the little girl from the forest holding the now empty rubber bag and a Meowth doll.

"Pikachu!" he called with relief as the Electric-type jumped into his arms. Ash looked to the girl who had dropped the bag to hold the doll with both hands, "It's you again. Did you rescue Pikachu?"

"Mm-hmm!" the girl replied with a nod.

Ash bowed his head, "Thank you, I owe you one."

The girl giggled again and a blue aura surrounded her.

Kingler immediately sidestepped between the now wary group and the girl while Misty said, "We'd better watch out; that's no ordinary little girl."

Ash picked up Bellsprout and held him close along with Pikachu, "Who is she, then?"

The girl pointed at them while still glowing and the aura transferred to surround the humans and Pokémon alike.

Brock looked at the surrounding glow, "What's going-"

The entire group turned to light and disappeared without a trace.

* * *

Jessie and James were still frozen in the control room of the building, trying to wrap their mind around the fact that Meowth was gone. The latter's fingers were trembling especially hard as he wanted to curl his hands into fists.

All at once, the spell came undone, and both agents stumbled to the ground, Jessie barely keeping her feet under her while James took a knee with one hand clutched against the tile floor.

 _'If you want your funny cat back, you have to win at Saffron Gym,'_ a little girl's voice said, seeming to come from all around them.

James immediately stood up, but Jessie grabbed his arm, "Where do you think you're going?"

"Where else?" he retorted shortly, tugging against her grip. "I'm going to Saffron Gym to get Meowth back right _now_."

"James, we need to think about-"

He yanked his arm free and whipped around, "He's _our_ Meowth! And that… _freak_ took him away! I won't stand for it, even if _you_ will!"

Getting fed up with James's outbursts, Jessie slapped her partner across the face saying, "James, you're hysterical! Of _course_ I want to get Meowth back!"

James rubbed the side of his face with a surprised look, "You _do_ care…?"

"Just what kind of person do you take me for?" she demanded. "We're _getting_ Meowth back, but how did you plan to fight against that psychic witch?"

The male agent's gaze hardened again, "Gyarados, of course. Even with telekinesis, he wouldn't be so easily restrained."

"James, what's one of the most basic moves of a Psychic Pokémon, one that the girl _just_ used?"

His eyes widened before his face fell, hope extinguished, "…Teleport."

Jessie nodded with a grave expression, "Even with Gyarados, it wouldn't make the slightest bit of difference if you could never touch the opponent." **(3)**

"What are we supposed to do, then?" James implored, anger guttering out with hopelessness taking its place.

His partner looked like she wanted to vomit, but bit out the words, "We retreat—come up with a plan, and free Meowth. I hate it as much as you, and can't believe I'm saying this, but we need to keep a clear head. Otherwise we'll wind up on that little monster's shelf as well."

* * *

Sneaking out of Saffron City, Jessie and James retreated to their airship on Gyarados' back, the flying serpent getting them there in a matter of minutes. They then proceeded to call a meeting of the agents, which Ella helpfully announced from the cockpit with an intercom.

Once everybody was in the holding room, the two officers explained what happened.

"Our Pokémon alone aren't enough to beat Psychic-types," Jessie announced. "We need to find another one to do the job."

James shuffled through his Pokémon Flash Cards, "Ugh! These only talk about a Pokémon's specific information, not weaknesses and strengths. Those must be in a different set."

"Ghost-types."

The agents turned to Charlie and she elaborated, "Natu's a half-Psychic Pokémon, so I'm familiar with their weaknesses. Bug-types are technically good too, but a lot of their attacks require close combat or are projectiles able to be turned around with telekinesis. Ghosts, on the other hand, can turn invisible and slip into the arena away from a psychic's sight for sneak attacks."

"Where can we find one?" James asked in a no-nonsense tone.

"They usually love dark places, graveyards or abandoned buildings to haunt," the disguise specialist answered. "The closest best bet would be the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town."

Burton tsked, "Sounds too easy. If they were that simple to find, why doesn't everybody have one?"

"There's a move called Foresight which makes the pests much easier to catch, and we're in luck," Charlie explained. She slapped a hand on Frank's shoulder, "Muscles' Machoke can learn it and I'll help teach it to him on the way."

Frank nodded dutifully to his superiors when they glanced at him.

"So we'll catch a Ghost-type, but who goes to battle the witch?" Jessie asked. "Even with that, it's no guarantee."

Burton immediately raised his hand, "I'll do it. Leave it to me."

"Burton, if you lose, you could wind up the same as Meowth," James warned.

"While I have no intention of losing, I'm also the most expendable," the scout reasoned. "All of you have skills valuable to the squad. I just run fast."

Henry didn't comment, but felt rather useless despite the agent's words. Nobody had gotten hurt, so he hadn't been needed, and there wasn't much else he could do. But he knew that him going near the Gym would be out of the question.

Ella, in a somewhat subdued tone compared to her usual pep, announced, "I'll get us airborne and chart a course to Lavender Town, then."

"You're with me, Muscles," Charlie announced. "There's plenty of space here, so call out your Pokémon."

"I… guess I'll keep an eye on the engine room to make sure that nothing goes wrong," Henry offered. It went unsaid that Meowth usually did so while he worked in there.

James let out a heavy sigh and said, "I'll start on dinner."

* * *

Burton lay in his bed, glad for the temporary privacy with Frank training Cal to use Foresight with Charlie's instruction. He stared at the night sky and passing scenery as the airship flew through the night. With the darkness and late hour, they didn't have to fly as high as they usually did.

Truthfully, he was rather nervous about facing someone that apparently took the rules of reality to be suggestions. Who wouldn't be?

'I won't run away. Not again,' he vowed. He closed his eyes, thinking about his older brother, 'Would he be proud of me for facing this for the team? Or would he call me stupid for putting myself on the line like that?'

The scout snickered, "Probably both." Then he closed his eyes to rest until dinner, 'I'm not scared anymore, bro. I'm not afraid to be free, and I'm going to risk it for my teammate.'

* * *

As the morning sun rose over Saffron City, its inhabitants were beginning their morning routines, starting another day in the thriving metropolis.

However, in front of a strangely designed white building with arches interspersed around its outside, a flash of light blinked in the air above its front door before taking the shape of three people. It soon solidified into Ash, Misty and Brock, along with the Pallet Trainer's Pokémon. They only had a moment to realize that they were in the air before falling gracelessly to the hard road.

Despite being transferred from night to day, the trio and their Pokémon weren't tired at all as they had been on their arrival to Saffron City. And while they made a note that it was daytime, they didn't think to question how that had been when it'd been night before being warped. **(4)**

"How did we get outside again?" Misty wondered.

Brock rubbed his backside as he gingerly stood up, "That girl must've done something to get us out of that room."

Ash checked over his Pokémon, returning Kingler and placing Bellsprout back on his backpack.

"What's this building?" he wondered.

A man with a beard wearing a cap with a teal jacket jogged up behind them, still running in place as he was taking his morning run. Keeping his breathing even, he said, "You come to Saffron City, and you don't even know Sabrina's Gym?"

Ash glanced back at him before regarding the building with a smile, "So _that's_ Saffron Gym."

"If you're trying to enter the Pokémon League, young man, this is one Gym I suggest you stay away from," the jogger warned.

Raising an eyebrow, the Pallet Trainer glanced back, "Why's that?" But he blinked in surprise as he saw the man already running off to continue his jog.

Regardless, Ash shook his head while moving forward with determination, "I've gotta compete here. This was the next closest Gym, and I need eight badges to compete in the League."

Then he stopped and remembered, "Oh, right. Bellsprout, thanks for helping us with breaking down that wall. While we got out anyway, without that girl's help, we would've been stuck there without you."

Bellsprout nodded and hesitated before extending a vine and reaching for the Poké Ball he'd seen Ash about to use to catch him before. Handing it to the boy, he nodded when he received a questioning look in return.

Ash smiled, "Welcome to the team, Bellsprout."

After catching the Flower Pokémon and having him warped to Professor Oak's, Ash resumed his path forward and walked into the automatic glass doors with Misty and Brock close behind.

The inside had golden walls and ceilings with matching concave pillars holding spherical lights and a purple floor with wavy patterns of paler colors.

Ash looked around, seeing nobody around to guide him to the Gym Leader.

"Hello?" he called while stepping forward with Pikachu. Brock followed behind, with Misty reluctantly tagging along.

The redhead shuddered, "There's something creepy about this place…"

As they continued down the hall in front of them, they saw a green door with a window and looked inside. In the room, they could see various people in smocks sitting at tables. Some were staring intently at spoons and others were in pairs, one holding cards and the other apparently guessing what was on them.

"What kind of training is this?" Ash wondered. At least he assumed it was training, or practice of some sort.

A new voice spoke up from their left, "What are you kids doing here?"

The group looked to see a man with long, spiky brown hair tied into a ponytail with a portion hanging down in front of his face. He was dressed similarly to the people inside the room, but his face was, strangely enough, mostly covered with a hospital mask.

"I've come to ask for a battle, for a Marsh Badge," Ash requested.

The man chuckled, "You wish to challenge the great Sabrina?"

"Yeah, what of it?" the Pallet Trainer challenged at the condescending tone.

Misty spoke up, pointing at the door behind them, "And, excuse me, but what are all those people doing in that room?"

"Hm, you know so little, yet you wish to challenge the great Sabrina?" the brunet asked. Then he proceeded to take a spoon from his smock's pocket and hold it before them, glaring at it intently. He then growled in concentration, straining harder until his face turned red, sweat beading on his skin. Then his eyes widened as if releasing something, and the spoon bent forward with no hint of him having used his thumb.

The man panted from apparent exertion as the red faded, and Ash watched in admitted fascination, "Did _you_ do that?"

"Hm, perhaps there is hope for you yet," he answered, proffering the bent spoon. "It's telekinesis. You cannot control a Psychic-type Pokémon without psychic powers." **(5)**

Ash frowned at the word "control," but replied, "Well, I guess that it would help bond with the Pokémon if the Trainer was like them. Are there other powers?"

"I believe the question is a waste of time; you are _born_ with psychic potential, not trained to it," he answered while pocketing the bent silverware. "But yes. Telekinesis is but one of the basic disciplines. Clairvoyance, seeing that which the eyes do not, telepathy, communicating without speaking, and teleportation, traversing where you have been. The advanced abilities are out of reach to any person who does not know those four."

"Talking without actually…" The Pallet Trainer leaned closer to look at the hospital mask, "Are you moving your mouth right now?"

Shutting his eyes with a quiet growl, the man gently pushed Ash out of his personal space with two fingers on his shoulder, "We have strayed from the matter at hand. If you _insist_ on challenging the great Sabrina, I will lead you to her."

He then turned around and led them further down the hall they were walking down, passing a couple of branching paths before coming to a set of double doors that he pulled open.

"Here we are."

Inside was a massive room with the same patterned purple floor and similar colored pillars standing from the floor to the ceiling. At the other side, a small staircase led up to a dais where two flames burned in large braziers on either side of a veil. There was an arena, but it was some sort of polished stone instead of the usual dirt arena.

Brock sweated a bit, "This is more like some kind of temple than a Pokémon Gym…"

"Well, _whatever_ it is, I don't like it…" Misty shuddered.

The man crossed the room and took a knee before the dais, speaking to a shadowed figure sitting in a throne behind the veil, "Oh, great Sabrina, I have brought someone who wishes to challenge you."

In a lower tone, he added, "The young boy doesn't appear to have any potential, but possesses an open mind to the mental arts. He could pose a halfway decent challenge, perhaps."

Behind the veil, the shadows seemed to part around a small portion of the figure, revealing the little girl in her dress and hat. The doll from earlier was missing, though, replaced with an expanded Poké Ball.

Ash gasped, "The little girl…"

After a silent stare down from behind the rim of her hat, the man bowed his head slightly, "I understand. I will take my leave."

As he passed by Ash again, the Trainer heard, _'Good luck. You will need it.'_

He blinked and muttered, "Uh, thanks." Then Ash turned back to the little girl, "Are you really Sabrina?"

The girl just tittered in response.

"Well, I'm here for a battle to earn a Marsh Badge," he challenged.

The girl nodded, "Mm-hmm! I'd like to have a match. But if you lose… you have to be my friends and let me play with you!"

Ash blinked at the odd wager, but nodded readily enough with a slight smile, "Sure, it's the least I could do after you saved Pikachu."

Misty groaned uneasily, but kept quiet. Something about the little girl still unsettled her.

The trio then gasped when the veil lifted to reveal another figure in the light of the torches. She looked like an older version of the girl in her lap, with dark green hair to the small of her back as well. She wore a red, double-buttoned blouse with gold buttons on both sides going down and white pants barely visible above her thigh-high black boots.

"So now… time for us to play," she announced in monotone. The doors then slammed closed behind the group of Trainers.

Brock stepped up behind Ash, "Don't let your guard down, Ash. I get the feeling there's more to this Gym Leader than meets the eye."

"I know," he whispered back. Out loud, he said, "So _you're_ Sabrina. Who's the little girl, then?"

She ignored his question and floated from her throne down to the Gym Leader's arena box. The stadium lights blared on as Sabrina announced, "One-on-one. An all out match. Agreed?"

Ash frowned, but stepped forward into his own box as he turned his hat back, "Fine."

"Come out, Abra," she dully commanded while the ball levitated from the smaller girl's hands and flew forward to release its Pokémon. A predominantly yellow Pokémon with pointed ears, a squinty-eyed expression, a brown torso and a somewhat long tail emerged sitting down on the arena. They had three fingers on each hand and three toes on each foot, two facing forward and one on the heel.

The Pallet Trainer took out his Pokédex and pointed it, deciding to analyze them first.

 ** _"Abra, the Psi Pokémon. It sleeps eighteen hours a day, but employs psychic techniques even while sleeping."_**

Ash thought about what Pokémon to send out and decided not to take any chances against a type he knew little about. Pidgeot would be his first choice, but the Flying-type still wasn't in any condition to battle. Therefore…

"Pikachu, you up for a battle?" he asked of the Pokémon at his shoulder.

The Electric-type nodded confidently, "Pi!"

"Don't let your guard down because he looks to be asleep."

Pikachu nodded more seriously and hopped to the ground before moving to his own starting position.

He waited for a call to begin, but seeing as there was no referee and Sabrina didn't seem inclined to give the signal, Ash called, "Pikachu, open up with Quick Attack!"

The Electric Mouse Pokémon disappeared from sight, flitting in a confusing pattern towards his opponent as he reappeared for brief intervals.

Sabrina's eyes glowed red and a similar glow appeared from behind Abra's eyelids in resonance.

Pikachu reappeared with a direct charge to his opponent's side, but the Psi Pokémon disappeared, turning to light and vanishing. The Electric-type skidded to the ground a distance away and looked around before turning to Sabrina. Abra appeared right behind him.

"Back Slam, Pikachu!"

Without wasting time by looking back, Pikachu twisted slightly and leaped backwards, lashing out with his tail as he saw his opponent out of the corner of his eye during the attacking spin. Abra teleported away again, though, and reappeared in front of Sabrina on the edge of the arena.

Pikachu landed while Ash watched closely, "Teleportation, I should've figured."

"Such blatant attacks will not succeed," Sabrina stated before glowing blue.

The aura surrounded Abra before he flashed white with evolution. Ash gasped as the Pokémon instantly transformed into a new one. The evolved Psychic-type now had claws on his three-fingered hands and each of his toes with a spoon clutched in his grip. He stood taller with wavy lines on his pelvis and was clearly awake now, with a bulkier physique and a thicker, wavy tail with two brown rings on it. His face was more angular with a protruding muzzle possessing long, mustache-like whiskers and a red star on his forehead.

"They evolved!" Ash said while taking out his Pokédex again.

 ** _"Kadabra, the Psi Pokémon. The evolved form of Abra. It employs powerful psychic techniques."_**

Worried about any of the "advanced" techniques he heard about earlier, Ash called, "Pikachu, take 'em down quick! It's against the rules to leave the arena, _even_ by teleportation. Blast this whole area with electricity! Thunder!"

Carefully measuring how much electricity he'd need for such a task, Pikachu charged up for a moment before releasing a massive burst of electricity that gathered at the ceiling. It wasn't nearly as much as he ordinarily used, so Pikachu was ready to move afterward. Kadabra merely stared at the ceiling as a vortex of electricity formed and burst, raining down electric bolts over the entire arena with little space to dodge.

Kadabra's eyes glowed red and the electricity fused into one giant bolt. Pikachu gasped as Sabrina ordered, "Confusion!"

The Psychic-type pointed at Pikachu with his eyes still red, apparently ordering the electricity after him as it transformed into a serpentine dragon shape. Pikachu began running away, trying to shake it off, but it followed him wherever he turned. He had a bad feeling about trying to absorb that electricity; it _was_ under Kadabra's control, after all.

"Wait a minute, electricity doesn't have substance," Brock muttered. **(6)**

Misty watched worriedly, "Doesn't seem to be stopping Kadabra."

Ash hurriedly ordered, "Pikachu, lose it with Double Team!"

His Pokémon blurred away, reappearing in several afterimages surrounding Kadabra and appearing over the whole arena. Some were even right near the Psi Pokémon. Regardless, Kadabra looked around in frustration as the electric dragon coiled in the air above him, waiting to be released.

'They must not be able to sense Pikachu when holding all of that electricity,' Ash realized. 'I just hope Pikachu can think to use that to his advantage. If I say it, it'll ruin any chance of working.'

Praying for Pikachu to come up with the same plan, Kadabra turned the dragon into a sphere of electricity, apparently about to split it and strike all of the copies at the same time. His eyes widened, though, as he tipped forward revealing Pikachu clinging to his back as the afterimages faded away. Evidently, the Electric-type had charged him from behind.

Pikachu was already sparking and cried out as he released a Thunderbolt.

"CHUUUUUU!"

"Kadaa-a-a-abraaa!"

The Psi Pokémon cried out in pain while the electricity above him began to lose shape and burst all over the place. The ones going near Sabrina redirected, but Ash had to duck and dodge any that approached him.

But Kadabra regained his bearings and released a telekinetic pulse that blew Pikachu right off his back. He was badly burnt, but still standing. Meanwhile, Pikachu landed harshly, but rolled to his feet in an instant.

"Recover," Sabrina ordered in monotone.

The burns faded away with a slight shimmer of golden energy, leaving Kadabra as good as new.

"Oh, come on!" Ash grumbled while pointing Dexter at Kadabra's healing body.

 ** _"Move identified: Recover. A psychic technique that allows the user to replenish its body. Only usable up to ten times in rapid succession."_** **(7)**

Muttering a curse, the Pallet Trainer said, "So that's what he meant by advanced techniques."

"An interesting trick, but it won't work twice," Sabrina stated. "Kadabra, Psychic."

"Double Team again!" Ash called. It was the only hope he had.

Pikachu blurred into several copies again, but Kadabra's pupils glinted and a pulse went outward, distorting the air and blowing through all of the copies until Pikachu was revealed by being knocked off balance, causing them to disappear. His eyes then zeroed in on the Electric-type and Pikachu was trapped in a blue glow before it faded.

Ash's Pokémon tried to send electricity outward, but couldn't control himself, not even enough to do that much. Kadabra tilted his head up and Pikachu was sent soaring through the air before he hit the ceiling. A tilt back down and he crashed into the floor.

The Trainer watched as Kadabra sent Pikachu upward again, unable to think of a way out. Conflicted for a moment, he quickly called, "That's it! Stop the match!"

Kadabra dropped Pikachu to the ground like a ragdoll and Ash ran over, dropping to his knees to pick up the Electric-type.

"I, I forfeit," the Pallet Trainer said while standing up again with his Pokémon in his arms, Brock and Misty coming up behind him. After that, he looked down, "Pikachu, are you all right?"

"Kaa…" the Electric Mouse Pokémon groaned.

"Be my new friends," the little girl said with a smile. "You promised I could play with you."

She lifted her head to make eye contact with glowing red eyes, and the trio of Trainers was warped away.

* * *

When the trio reappeared over a road and dropped down, Ash turned his body to land on his back and protect Pikachu from hitting the ground. The two Gym Leaders groaned in pain from landing on their rears and slowly got up while looking around. They appeared to be in a suburban area, one-story houses surrounding them with picturesque lawns, but no walkways leading up to the doors.

"Sabrina must've teleported us from the Gym," Misty theorized.

Brock didn't see any signs of life, commenting, "This place is empty."

"Guys…" Ash called, apparently trying to keep his tone level. They turned to him, seeing his expression of muted terror as he and Pikachu stared upward from their prone position on the ground and the Trainer asked, "What happened to the sky?"

In confusion, they looked up as well and their eyes widened as they saw a purple ceiling with stars and various other shapes like circles, triangles and crescents made out of black lines decorating the clearly flat surface. Taking a closer look around, they saw that the blue sky only reached up a certain distance before cutting off with purple walls in its place.

Both Misty and Brock grew steadily more panicked as they considered the ramifications of staring into a giant room.

"We need to hide," Ash decided as he scrambled to his feet with Pikachu still in his arms, " _now_!"

The trio dashed to the nearest house and threw open the door, closing it behind them and trying to breathe as quietly as possible. A nearby table was laid out for four with little plates holding cake on them, but they ignored it favor of trying to figure out their situation.

"She must've shrunk us down with her powers," Brock realized. He picked up a slice of cake and tapped his finger against it, "This is plastic! But how?"

"Advanced powers," the Pallet Trainer muttered while trying to calm Pikachu and think a way out of their predicament. His hat was still backwards since he hadn't thought to straighten it out yet.

"We must be inside a doll house!" Misty quietly whimpered. "I _knew_ there was something weird about that little girl; I just knew it!"

"This whole town must be one big toy box," Ash continued in his low tone. "If we were outside, we'd see the other buildings in Saffron City. When she said she wanted to 'play with us,' she really meant it."

"How do we get out of here?!" the redhead demanded, grabbing him by the jacket and pulling him closer. "I don't wanna be locked in here forever!"

Ash moved one of his hands from Pikachu and pushed Misty's away from him, "I'm _thinking_!"

He ran a few more thoughts through his head before saying, "It's a bit risky, but if we stay hidden until Pidgeot is healed, he can carry us out of this box and we can sneak out of Saffron Gym. That man we met outside… He must've _known_ this might happen. We find him, and he might be able to fix our, heh-heh, _little_ problem."

"This is no time for _jokes_ , Ash!" Misty shouted.

"It's how I stay calm!" the Pallet Trainer shouted back.

Brock raised his voice, " _Both_ of you, this isn't a time for arguing!" The two stopped in surprise, and he continued, "Ash is right, we need to lay low and stay on the move in order to wait for Pidgeot to be all better for flight."

The roof started shifting, and they quickly fled from the house as a giant hand reached inside to grab at them. Looking up, they saw Sabrina and the little girl. From their low angle, they could see under her hat and saw that her eyes were doll-like, appearing plastic.

"Run for it!" Ash shouted while taking the lead. Brock and Misty were right behind him.

"Where can we go?" Brock called.

Misty put on more speed as she replied, "Anywhere but near _her_!"

The trio continued running as the doll girl's laughter echoed around them, but they soon ran into a dead end at the end of the box. A picture of a little green-haired girl in the doll's clothes smiling with her parents was propped up near the wall, and a quick look to both ways revealed that the toy box tapered off, but the jump was far too high to make and Ash wasn't sure if bringing Bulbasaur would work with the Pokédex shrunken.

A rhythmic thudding noise rang out, and Ash turned around to see the doll walking towards them, bouncing her rubber ball as she approached.

She caught the ball and said, "I wanna play _catch_ ~"

Releasing the ball, it abruptly started rolling towards them at high speed.

Ash quickly took a Poké Ball in one hand while still clutching Pikachu and said, "I'm not giving up yet! Kingler, King Crabhammer!"

The Pincer Pokémon emerged and took stock of the situation in a moment before charging up Strength and Harden while winding up for a Crabhammer. Seeming to speed up at the challenge, the ball was almost upon them when Kingler swung his giant claw.

Stopping in the face of the Water-type's blow, it reversed direction with a stretching sound as the elastic material caved inward for a moment. The ball flew backwards and bounced back to the doll's feet, where she picked it up with another laugh.

"You're fun~! Let's go again~"

She threw the ball back and this time it bounced, making it trickier to time the blow. But before Kingler could act, a figure teleported in front of them, solidifying into the man they met outside the Gym.

A feeling like a warm shroud seemed to wrap over people and Pokémon alike as he said, "Let your minds rely on mine."

The man then stared resolutely ahead as he uttered, " _Teleportation_."

The four of them along with Pikachu and Kingler were warped away, causing the ball to bounce off the picture frame instead.

* * *

Ash and company materialized over the road again and landed hard, though the Pallet Trainer managed to keep his feet under him from repeated practice, and took a knee to soften the landing. He looked around and saw the tall buildings of Saffron City.

Letting out a breath of relief, he told his recovering friends, "We're back outside."

The trio then noticed the bearded man standing before them. Brock stepped forward, "Thanks for the help."

"Sabrina is a dangerous Pokémon Trainer," he explained. "That's why I warn everybody that comes near not to approach her. I got the chance to help you this time, but next time you won't be so lucky. You'll all be trapped in her toy box for eternity."

Then the man turned to Ash, "Give up your crazy idea of challenging Sabrina. One or two lucky moves won't win against her. Leave Saffron City, and never come back."

"I can't do that," the Trainer replied. "Sabrina's clearly too dangerous to just be left alone. If I can find a way to defeat her, then maybe she'll stop trying to trap people!"

"You'll never be able to defeat Sabrina and her Psychic Pokémon."

"Yes I can!" Ash insisted. " _No one's_ undefeatable. I just need to come up with a better counter to those psychic moves!"

With a single chuckle, the man's eyes glowed red and the boy was enveloped in a blue glow before he was forced to dance around. Kingler was surprised while Pikachu immediately turned to the man.

"[Let him go!]" the Electric-type demanded with sparking cheeks.

Brock held out a concerned hand to his friend, "Ash, what're you doing?"

Ash was visibly struggling against the movements, "It's not me! My body's moving by itself!"

"If you can't beat me, you haven't a _chance_ against Sabrina," the man stated as he released his control over the boy.

The Pallet Trainer growled, "I may not be able to fight her psychic-to-psychic, but I still have the guts to challenge her again."

"Wise up, kid," the elder psychic retorted. "Not even _I_ have the powers to defeat Sabrina. Guts don't count in this battle. I'm telling you this for your own good. There are worse fates than being shrunken."

At that, Brock remembered the Meowth doll that the doll of Sabrina had, along with the puppet's timely arrival to save Pikachu.

"Ah… You mean that, she could turn someone into a d-doll, too?" he gingerly asked.

Misty turned to him in surprise before her eyes widened, "Team Rocket! Ash, never mind the badge! Let's get out of here before we really _are_ a part of Sabrina's collection!"

"Listen to your friends," the man advised. "Leave the protection from Sabrina to me, and forget about this place."

"I won't run away," Ash resolutely stated as he took a step closer to the psychic. "Not when other people are in danger. This isn't about the badge anymore. I need to stop Sabrina since she's a threat to anybody that comes to Saffron Gym." Then he thought back to the psychic students, along with the hopeful telepath that seemed to revere her. "Almost anybody, but you get the point."

The man regarded Ash for a moment, thinking, 'That is one determined kid.' Although he wasn't too willing to put his hopes in the Trainer before him yet, he felt that with a little luck the Sabrina he knew would be freed.

"There may be one way you can defeat her," he said at length. "Only one other type of Pokémon can battle the Psychic-type. If you capture a Ghost Pokémon from Lavender Town, you might have a chance."

"A Ghost Pokémon." Ash nodded, "Thank you."

The man teleported away and Ash turned to his companions while turning his hat forward again, "You heard him, let's hit the road to Lavender Town." He then noticed that Kingler was still there and smiled, "Ah, and thanks for helping us out of that situation, Kingler. Return."

Misty seriously considered leaving since Ash apparently had every intention of battling Sabrina again. But she sighed and followed along when Ash and Brock moved on to leave towards the city limits.

Brock had his own reservations, but stuck with his friend since the Pallet Trainer had fought for him at Maiden's Peak. He'd stay with Ash to offer protection if he could. The breeder felt well and truly out of his depth, though.

"Ah!" Ash exclaimed, causing both Gym Leaders to jump in fright.

"What?!" Misty yelped, looking around.

The Pallet Trainer glanced over his shoulder, "I almost forgot to call mom. Let's make a stop at the Pokémon Center before we leave. The real one."

"We're heading to a literally haunted town," Brock uneasily commented while getting his heart rate under control. "Please don't make a habit of suddenly shouting."

Ash blinked and realized that he'd probably scared them before rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment, "Sorry…"

* * *

 **Notes:**

 **1\. Seeing how the Bellsprout line is based off carnivorous plants, specifically of the pitcher plant variety, I figure their heads to be hollow with the ability to naturally produce Acid.**

 **2\. Yes, it's the Team Rocket motto theme, Kanto version.**

 **3\. Teleport is the most stupidly OP move in the Pokémon anime. So we don't get to see an epic battle between Kadabra and Gyarados because of that. Blame canon.**

 **4\. Looking back on the episode, this struck me as weird. Not only are they apparently sent forward in time, but there's not one comment about it. The only explanation that I can come up with is a compulsion by doll!Sabrina to not question it.**

 **5\. Rewrote all inappropriate uses of telekinesis, including the Pokédex entries. Citing Abra/Kadabra as only using telekinesis seems to be a gross understatement.**

 **6\. This was brought up in the PokéSins episode covering _Abra and the Psychic Showdown_. The best that I can figure is that Kadabra is creating a magnetic field to shape and redirect the electricity. Turning it into a dragon is just showing off.**

 **7\. It's a reference to the PP for Recover, and without that limitation, it's just too broken for the story. Also changed its appearance to be more consistent with later appearances.**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	27. Chapter 27: Spirit of Vengeance

**Review Responses:**

 ** _J'aimel'anime44163_** **(All): Thank you, I'm glad that you've enjoyed the story, and it's always a pleasure to receive a new follower.**

 ** _BbK2442_** **: That's certainly something to consider, but any similarities of the two stigmas are coincidental in this case.**

 **Regardless, thank you, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story.**

 ** _Jaguarspot_** **(Answered via PM): In order:**

 **1\. That was only in the Pokémon Adventures manga. It's not relevant here.**

 **2\. Bellsprout never beat Charmander when they were on the same team. Bellsprout was simply one of the many Pokémon that Damian had, and one of the approximate half that fled into the wilderness after James mugged Damian. Although from his musing, it's clear that he's one of the six Pokémon that battled against the unknown Trainer that led to Damian's downward spiral.**

 **3\. Indeed. But he was, so it wasn't.**

 **4\. We'll see, I suppose.**

 ** _Ardtornismyname_** **: We'll see.**

 ** _Snoozing Lurker_** **(Answered via PM): In order:**

 **2\. Well, yes, but it was less about morals and more about "They're mine."**

 **3\. Even if they realized that, they likely wouldn't care. Ash has saved Team Rocket more than a few times in canon, but they continue to antagonize him unless the world's at stake.**

 **4\. Remember that because of doll!Sabrina sending Ash and co. forward in time, Team Rocket has an entire night's lead.**

 **5\. Psychic moves as a whole seem to give a major middle finger to physics in the anime. Recover has a limited number of uses in a short time, but that may have more to do with a capacity of healing energy within the body of a psychic. Heck, psychic humans may possess less and only be able to use it once. Who knows? But since Recover doesn't have any downsides in the games aside from limited usage, there are no downsides in this story.**

 ** _Fox McCloude_** **: Yeah, Ash is more experienced this time around and registers the supernatural abilities of psychics. For his first battle, he did really well considering that he had to think on his feet for a majority of the battle.**

 **That's a pretty apt description of Charmeleon's character. And it'd be pretty hard to _not_ respect Ash given all that he goes through.**

 ** _TheShadowOfZama_** **: Responding to your points of contention:**

 **1\. First off, from how empty the toy box is in canon, I'd say that Sabrina's father was more or less successful in warning Trainers away from Saffron Gym. The dolls that Sabrina makes have a distinct appearance, and the only one that shows those characteristics is the doll of her mother. Also, her mother says when Misty and Brock are trapped, "It's nice to have some company."**

 **2\. That'll be explained later.**

 ** _BrightNova169_** **(Answered via PM): Answering your questions:**

 **2\. Not very many. He has, to my knowledge, Seaking and a Dragonite, but he could easily take a short trip to capture some Pokémon and train them in his spare time. Even if he doesn't have a lot of it, he might be able to do as you suggested and delegate the training to Dragonite.**

 **4\. Ash will probably start training Rattata to track scents better soon, seeing as the incident in Saffron proved he's not safe in cities. She already has a very good sense of smell, she just has trouble using it in densely populated areas.**

 **Your question: No. Abra was still an Abra because her father had been warning Trainers away from her Gym. She _did_ stimulate his growth with psychic powers, though.**

 **On with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 27: Spirit of Vengeance

Jessie and James looked up at the forbidding Pokémon Tower, Burton and Frank behind them with Cal standing beside his trainer. The leather vest and chaps got a couple of raised eyebrows from the Officer agents, but barely merited a second glance. What mattered most was that the Machoke could use Foresight now to track them a ghost to capture.

But the building before them gave the group of criminals pause.

Despite the sunset shining its orange light everywhere else in Lavender Town, the light seemed to drain away around the tower, as if it was displaying its haunted status. The tower was made of large bricks with several small windows carved out of the stone and a couple of small turret-like structures around the middle for apparent assistance in keeping watch. **(1)**

The most foreboding aspect, though, was the horns and spike atop the tower that gave the entire structure a demonic look, not helped by a pair of ornate windows that looked like curved eyes above an open balcony. They idly noted that there was a lower structure like a mansion connected to the rear left of the tall building, but the tower was so sinister that it demanded attention. The double doors themselves were framed by a stone molding of a demon with glaring eyes and horns.

James reached inside a slit he'd cut in his hakama and fingered the small bags of explosives he had strapped to his left thigh, atop his leggings. The garment certainly allowed for a lot of space in smuggling weapons. His Pokémon were fastened to his right thigh with his roses up his now loosened sleeves and the Zap Sapper 2.0 fixed to his belt along with multiple Zap Caps ready to be switched in.

He'd needed some projects to distract himself from Meowth's absence, and the tailoring job hadn't been nearly enough, so Jessie gave him another task.

Seeing that her former steel heels didn't quite fit over the new boots, James reshaped them slightly and tore out the soles of the footwear to put in the metal plates, fixing them directly to the bottom with some superglue. After refitting the leather over them – mostly to contain the metal and reduce the noise of her steps – Jessie had shallow heels to her boots that looked like regular hide, but would hit a lot harder.

"So…" James ventured at last, "do we sneak in or announce ourselves to the Ghost Pokémon?"

Nobody seemed really eager to go first, so Jessie huffed and started stepping forward, "Let's just get it over with. If one comes by to investigate, then we catch it."

With that said, the female officer swept one of her legs outward before snapping it to the double doors, kicking them inward. As if highlighting the decrepit state of the place, the door that her heel hit snapped off its hinges and fell over, producing an ominous thud that echoed through the building's inside.

"Welp, ain't any sneakin' in now," Frank remarked while Cal took the lead next to Jessie, eyes having a slight blue glow as he used Foresight to look around inside.

Burton made no comment aside from following and having an empty Poké Ball at the ready.

Once all four of the humans were inside behind Cal, Jessie grumbled, "I can't see anything past the door."

"Hm, of all the tools we carry, a flashlight isn't one of them," James mused. "Ah! Hold on…"

A click in the darkness and blue light emerged from the flames of James' blue rose held in his hand. It only illuminated a few feet outward, but was better than nothing.

"A nice, blue flame to really highlight the setting," Burton mumbled. "Nice…"

Frank walked a few feet out into the shadows, "Ah, here's a candle." He returned with the object in his hands and held the wick to James' burning rose. A red flame joined the effort in lighting the area and the two spaced apart so that they could more or less fully see the entire room.

While James was by himself, he felt breathing on his neck and turned to look, seeing nothing besides his teammates a short distance away. Next he felt something shift a few strands of his hair and he whipped around again to see nothing.

When he felt something long and wet brush against his shoulder, James immediately thrust his rose backwards, earning a startled yelp.

"Ga!"

It immediately drew the attention of Cal and there was a flash of light from the Superpower Pokémon's eyes, shining like a pair of blue searchlights around James. A Gastly was exposed, seeming rather disoriented with his long tongue hanging out right over the Officer's shoulder.

Burton immediately threw the Poké Ball in his hand, hitting the exposed Ghost-type. The ball opened and sucked the Pokémon inside, but it rocked violently back and forth before popping back open.

Still Cal had closed the distance and had a Mega Punch ready by the time Gastly had fully rematerialized, still solidified by Foresight. The Machoke hit the Gas Pokémon right between the eyes, sending him flying back before he bounced off the wall. Before he could recover, Cal thrust his fingers into the floor and ripped up a floorboard, whacking Gastly to the ground.

James had picked up the fallen Poké Ball and threw it to hit the Ghost Pokémon again. This time, the ball shook less, and soon the button went out.

"Well, that's that," Jessie stated with finality. "Now let's get out of-"

A door slamming cut her off, and the criminals turned around to see that the front doors were closed. The broken door had even placed itself back in the frame and both were currently starting to frost over as the air grew colder by the second.

Shivering at the temperature drop, it got worse when a wind from nowhere blew Frank's candle out. It tried to put out the rose too, but since it still had fuel in the stem, James just re-lit it.

A pair of red eyes lit in the darkness, making direct eye contact with Cal and putting him to sleep. After the Fighting-type fell, a shadowy apparition zipped forward and phased through his chest, drawing a wispy white energy along with it before returning to the red eyes.

Jessie took deep breaths to keep calm, "Listen, you. You have no idea who we are. Attack us and we'll-"

She felt the floor abruptly shift under her and she jumped aside, the boards in her former spot breaking and rising up to snap at her ankles.

The eyes traveled downward and seemed to fade in brightness as they approached the floor before vanishing completely.

But even though they were gone, the entire tower seemed to groan as if coming to life.

A grandfather clock started chiming, the hands spinning out of control before snapping off and flying towards James, who had the Poké Ball. With a sleight of hand, James took out his purple rose and caught the brass points in the weighted flower, bracing his wrist with the other hand as he shrunk the sphere containing Gastly and held it next to his blue rose.

But before he could pocket it, an invisible presence seemed to take advantage of his loose grip to pry the sphere loose. James dropped the purple rose and pulled out his pink rose, spraying the air around the floating Poké Ball. The ball dropped to the ground as another Pokémon became visible, this one seeming like a purple floating head with a ghost tail, two disembodied hands and three spines on each side of its main body. It seemed more solid than Gastly, but not by much.

"Should we catch that one, too?" Burton asked.

Frank had Cal's unconscious body draped over his shoulders in a fireman carry, "Ferget that! We need ta get outta here!"

Jessie launched another kick at the door, but the frost was so thick that it didn't even crack. Meanwhile, a bureau full of silverware opened, the items flying everywhere and giving grazing cuts to the Rocket agents.

Burton caught whichever ones he could, winding up holding a dozen items in both hands before jamming them into the ground where they couldn't be pulled back out and repeating the process.

James sprayed paste from his white rose to stick as many together as he could while hitting them to the ground and walls with his purple rose to glue them there. The lit blue rose was held in his teeth now, his hair hurriedly tied back to keep from igniting it.

Jessie operated similar to Burton aside from the fact that she grabbed one at a time, throwing them with such force as she moved to where they stuck wherever they landed in the rather decrepit walls and ceiling of the room. She also occasionally kicked them directly which could get them stuck handle-first. The result was a dance-like defense of continuous movement that gave her the least cuts of the group.

Frank had merely returned Cal and hunkered down, weathering the storm of metal since he couldn't act fast enough to stop it. The cuts stung, but he'd endured worse.

When there were only a few items left, they abruptly dropped to the ground, as if the ghost was retreating. But before they could breathe a sigh of relief, they heard ominous piano chords.

With chiming crashes, a grand piano on wheels rolled down a spiral staircase near the wall before landing on the floor and rolling towards them. It stopped a few feet away, and the lid opened to reveal a full set of sharp teeth.

"That's not even possible!" Jessie complained.

Frank rushed forward and the piano lunged across the ground to snap at him, but the rancher slid underneath and tucked his legs in while moving across the floorboards on his back. Kicking upward once his feet were under the edge, he sent the piano flying in a flip, making it crash into the floor and fall through to the floor below.

The empty bureau went flying at them, but James tossed a bomb at it, blowing it to pieces. Then the Officer blinked and took out two more bombs, "Oh, of course! Everybody, stand clear of the door!"

Once he threw them, both doors were burst apart and the four humans immediately fled into the courtyard outside, seeing that the Pokémon Tower seemed even more sinister, shadows seeming to writhe around it.

The darkness then pulled from the building, condensing into a solid form. The Pokémon had red eyes and was snarling at them, seeming to be made of shadows itself. It stood rather short, but floated in the air. Unlike the others, it had defined arms and legs, along with pointed ears.

"You may have had the home advantage inside, but it's lit out here!" Jessie said as she took two Poké Balls from her belt, "Arbok, Beedrill!"

"Weezing, Gyarados!" James called out at the same time. He doubted that Mankey would be that much good against an opponent he couldn't reach. Zubat might've been able to help if it was a weaker opponent, but this one was clearly far from weak.

The ghost fired a blast of black energy at Gyarados first, staggering the sea serpent for a moment. Weezing, Arbok and Beedrill shot projectile attacks. But the Sludge, Poison Sting and Pin Missile attacks had little effect aside from turning his attention to them. With all their eyes on him, his own glowed red, putting all three Pokémon to sleep.

But before he could do anything else, a huge surge of water shot through him, breaking a few of the windows. That caused him to fly out of the stream and try to put Gyarados to sleep too, only for the serpent's eyes to be closed. And the action gave the Atrocious Pokémon an idea.

The water cut off and Gyarados seemed to concentrate for a moment, mouth opened wide as specks of orange light started gathering. Gengar's eyes widened and he tried shooting another blast of black energy, only for the attack to keep charging anyway.

Growing into a sphere of pure energy, Gyarados kept his eyes closed, clearly aiming for the building instead of the Pokémon. The attack fired as a stream of destruction headed straight for the Pokémon Tower.

Eyes wide, Gengar flew into its path and willfully solidified his body to take the hit. Flying against it, he was pushed back bit by bit until the energy detonated.

Gyarados was left panting, his first Hyper Beam having taken a lot out of him. It had been reached mainly by instinct and clearly required a lot of practice to use on demand.

"Run! _Run_!" James ordered as he and Jessie returned their Pokémon, taking out a smoke pellet to further obscure their movements in addition to the smoke from the explosion.

The agents cleared out of the courtyard without waiting for the smoke to clear. Either the shadowy Pokémon was knocked out or not. Even if it was clearly powerful, they weren't willing to take that chance with Meowth depending on them successfully catching a Ghost Pokémon.

* * *

Ash removed the bandages on Pidgeot as his other Pokémon trained, checking his back to see that the wound was completely closed, a pale scar the only evidence that he'd been injured.

He gently rubbed a finger near it, "Does it still hurt?"

Pidgeot gently trilled while shaking his head.

"You should still take it easy tonight," he decided. "You can stretch your wings tomorrow."

The Bird Pokémon nodded back, and Ash smiled slightly while petting him on the crest.

Checking over his Pokémon's progress, he saw Charmeleon doing a physical spar with Bellsprout, the Flower Pokémon easily able to dance or bend around any claw swipes or punches. The purpose was to analyze how Bellsprout fought. He even managed to catch the Fire-type's arm with a vine and use his own momentum to flip him a distance away, his roots momentarily burrowing to give leverage for the move. After that, he appeared to give some advice on the evolved Pokémon's approach.

Jigglypuff was practicing a new move on Onix, apparently having learned Water Gun at some point. From Ash's guess, she was trying to upgrade it to Bubble Beam. So far, she had only managed a few loose blobs of water that splashed harmlessly against Onix's stone skin instead of the dense bubbles. She kept trying, though, and the Rock Snake Pokémon didn't seem to mind, using her training to continue building up resistance to water.

Glancing at Brock a distance away, he saw his friend training Zubat to use Double Team, the Bat Pokémon having learned Screech rather easily. Geodude was practicing using Harden on his fists in conjunction with Strength and Mega Punch. Brock had been inspired by Kingler's hardened King Crabhammer and had dubbed the combination move Diamond Punch in the wake of its ability to shatter stone to rubble with ease.

Pikachu worked on his own, practicing his electrical control with Thunder to aim it in different ways. So far, he'd been successful in directing it as one massive concentrated bolt striking the dirt path. Now he was trying to control the burst of electricity to aim where he wanted it to hit between the trees. He'd had a few instances where he started small fires on the branches, but Jigglypuff readily put them out with a Water Gun.

Since they seemed to be handling their own training for now, Ash took some time to muse over the past few hours.

Leaving Saffron City at around sunset had gotten them about halfway to Lavender Town, and the dimming evening sky made for a peaceful picture in the woods west of Saffron where it was slightly more open than the southern portion. **(2)**

Before leaving, though, he'd called his mother just like he said he would, using one of the video phones at the Pokémon Center to see her as well. His mother had been beside herself with worry after hearing about what happened two days before. Ash had insisted that he would be fine, and that he had his Pokémon and Brock to support him, but that didn't stop her from reminding him that she was always available to talk.

He'd hesitated on telling her about what happened at Saffron Gym, but he'd promised to never hide the truth from her. Once she found out about him nearly being trapped in a toy box, she had to ask him to repeat it from how outlandish it sounded.

When he clarified that he wasn't lying, she'd naturally tried to insist that he let the police handle it since clearly it was far too dangerous for him to approach the Gym again. Hesitantly, Ash said that it probably wouldn't do any good and would only endanger the officers.

He'd had to hold the phone away from his ear due to the volume when Delia had demanded if that made it okay for him to approach anyway.

Ash then admitted that he had put together his reply badly and explained that he had a plan to defeat Sabrina. He also added that a man who knew her seemed to believe it was the first step to curing her of whatever problem she had.

Not convinced, Delia made him promise to run away if things appeared to be getting bad. The Pallet Trainer agreed, but reassured her that he'd be fine. He kept it to himself that he didn't think he'd get far if he wanted to run. But since he didn't know for sure, he'd keep his word and try anyway. After that, he said that he'd call her after the Gym and said his goodbyes.

Letting out a sigh, Ash wished that he didn't have to put so much worry on his mother's mind. It really would've been easier if she hadn't found out about Team Rocket. Even with a cold, he could've made it to rescue Pikachu at Porta Vista if he pushed himself. Or maybe he could've sent (at that point) Pidgeotto ahead with Squirtle, who could hold Ash's other Poké Balls, while he caught up.

A questioning chirp from Pidgeot got his attention, and he replied, "Just thinking about my mom. She worries a lot, and I wish she didn't have to."

Internally, the Pallet Trainer decided there was no point in thinking about what he couldn't change. It would only make him go crazy about what he could've done differently, and he already regretted several failures. No need to double up on the issue.

* * *

Jessie and James were panting while Frank had already moved on from the hold to find Henry to take a look at Cal. Burton was the only one not too winded from running all the way from the Pokémon Tower to their airship parked a mile from Lavender Town.

They'd met Charlie, who'd been keeping watch near the ramp in her new standard disguise. Her body was slightly taller with a more mature face and somewhat developed curves, her bust only a little smaller than Jessie's. The disguise's hair was deep purple and hung down to her shoulder blades in a wavy mass with black contacts for her eyes.

After they'd given a signal to Ella via walkie-talkie to get the ship off the ground and en route to Saffron City, they explained what happened to the disguise specialist.

She whistled and said in a higher-pitched voice than her usual tones, "You're lucky to have gotten out of there at _all_. That ghost must've been _pissed_ to take control of the house like that. It must not have had experience controlling it, though."

"What matters…" James replied between breaths, "is that we succeeded in our mission. We have a Ghost Pokémon, and we can get Meowth back."

Jessie stood up again, having recovered enough to regain her bearing, "Burton, you're the one that's going to battle the witch; you train this Pokémon."

"Ah, hold on a moment," her partner chimed in while taking his Pokémon Flash Cards from a leather pouch he'd made and fastened to his right ankle. He searched through them before finding the gaseous Pokémon they'd caught.

"Gastly. You train Gastly," he clarified while pulling the shrunken ball from his hakama to give to the scout.

Burton accepted the ball but didn't open it, "What's to stop it from just flying off?"

"Little known fact: Poké Balls used to limit the distance that their inhabitants could travel from the sphere and prevented them from breaking it," James explained. **(3)** "They removed those features over time once the Pokémon rights activist groups formed, but Team Rocket still uses them so reluctant Pokémon can't simply leave. They analyzed some old Poké Balls and figured out a way to copy the functions onto our masked balls, making them adjustable."

He took the ball back and lifted a small panel at the back to reveal some dials. The Officer toggled a couple of them and closed it again, "There, now Gastly can't venture more than ten feet from his Poké Ball at any given time."

"What are your settings?" Charlie asked. She'd read that they oftentimes sent their Pokémon away to stall for time or perform other tasks. Did they plan everything that thoroughly?

He laughed and Jessie answered, "We don't use those settings. Our Pokémon trust us, and we trust them back."

"They know what we're doing, and they still love us," James added once he calmed down.

"Now, we're going to get some rest," the female Officer stated.

Her partner glanced over his shoulder as he left, "There's plenty of snacks in the pantry, so you all should be fine for one night."

* * *

Frank sat at the foot of the bed his Machoke lay in while Henry examined him in his room. The bulky agent was worried for his Pokémon's health.

The medic checked Cal's vitals and nodded, "It's just the standard symptoms of energy drain. Given that he was asleep at execution… I'd bet it was Dream Eater—quite a powerful one too if it's rendered him comatose. Still, Cal will be awake by tomorrow morning and be back to a hundred percent given enough rest, but he won't be battling for a while. Also, I'd recommend a larger portion of food for his meals until full recovery to help him bounce back."

"Phew. That's good to hear," he said with relief. "Thanks, son."

The medic shrugged, "I-It's no big deal; that's what I'm here for. Diagnosing energy drain is one of the simpler things."

Frank slapped him on the back, "Don't sell yourself short; I can't make heads or tails of anything worse than a Pokémon with a pulled muscle, broken limb or exhaustion."

"Ow…" Henry muttered as he rubbed his shoulder. "Anyway, Cal can stay here for now, I guess. I'll… give him a multivitamin when he wakes up."

"Thanks again."

* * *

Charmeleon led the way once again as Ash, Misty and Brock walked through the foggy daylight towards Lavender Town. The light didn't reach as far, but his tail acted like a beacon so that nobody got separated.

The Fire-type had time to mull over Bellsprout's advice from the other night. His dodging hadn't had much problems, his rolls and weaving able to avoid the slaps and kicks from the Flower Pokémon, but his overly aggressive attacks were predictable and left him open to counters.

While he could probably have beaten Bellsprout in particular with fire, Charmeleon didn't like having a weak spot in his battling. What if there was an opponent that could resist or cancel his fire attacks?

'Ash said a while back that I shouldn't be too dependent on my fire,' he mused. 'Maybe I need some more help, but Bellsprout and I don't really have similar bodies, so I don't know how to fix my offense.'

A slight frown crossed his face as he considered the kind of Pokémon that might be able to help.

'Hrm… Maybe a fighter on the team could help me,' the Flame Pokémon decided. 'After all, I'm evolved now and much stronger, so I shouldn't have to worry.'

Charmeleon wouldn't consider himself the strongest by any means. He'd heard about the battle where Pidgeot had gotten his scar, and seen the sheer power Pikachu wielded like it was nothing. They were undeniably the two major powerhouses on the team. Kingler was right behind them, wielding more destructive power, but strictly in close quarters. His speed, high for his size but ultimately slower than the other two, along with his needing to walk sideways with his crab legs were the only things making him a less effective fighter. A few others were also still ahead of Charmeleon by virtue of skill over his new strength. But he could comfortably say that he was no longer a weak link.

Ash had pulled him aside yesterday to talk about his… venting at Professor Oak's corral. He'd said that there was nothing wrong with letting out his anger, but to make sure not to lash out at those that don't deserve it. Charmeleon had understood all too well about that, thinking back to his previous Trainer. Everything had gone downhill from that day.

With slight guilt, he recalled what he'd said to Horsea. While ultimately necessary in his mind, the Fire-type conceded that he could've been gentler about his message.

'I guess I should apologize the next time I see him,' he reluctantly decided.

Clearing those thoughts out, Charmeleon readily moved onto resolving to ask the first Fighting-type Pokémon Ash caught for lessons.

"Ah, I think I see Lavender Town," the Pallet Trainer called.

Squinting to try seeing through the fog, the Fire-type started seeing buildings too, and the fog began clearing out once they were in the more open area.

Ash stooped down slightly to pat him on the shoulder, "Thanks for leading us through, Charmeleon."

Smiling back with a casual reply, the Flame Pokémon allowed himself to be returned.

Brock looked over the city, "Good thing we got here before it got dark."

However, as they went inside, they noticed that nobody was wandering the streets, and an oppressive atmosphere hung over the town like a blade.

Frowning a bit in worry, Ash moved on ahead and walked to the Pokémon Center, the automatic door still functioning as the resident Nurse Joy sedately worked behind the counter.

Brock and Misty caught up as he went to the counter, "Excuse me, what's going on here? Why is everybody hiding?"

"There's no need to worry," she reassured. "I've already made the necessary calls to have the issue taken care of."

"Tell me anyway, please," Ash insisted.

Joy looked up at him and sighed, "The Ghost Pokémon in the Pokémon Tower started attacking the people here. It started last night, but nobody knows why."

'Team Rocket,' the Trainer internally cursed. It sounded like they'd already fled without being seen, otherwise they would've been mentioned. There was nothing he could do in that regard, but he asked, "Who'd you call? The police?"

"The police can't do much against a Ghost Pokémon, especially when they've sealed the tower," the nurse replied. "I called the League, and they should be sending Agatha over soon."

"Agatha?" Misty repeated in surprise. "As in, Elite Four Agatha? _That_ Agatha?"

Brock muttered, "Must be a serious problem…"

Ash remained silent for a moment, but nodded with a quick thanks to her before turning to leave.

Realizing that Ash was probably headed to the Pokémon Tower, Brock quickly gave chase, catching up right outside of the Pokémon Center.

"Wait, Ash," he called while following him. "If a member of the Elite Four is being called to deal with the issue, then maybe it'd be better to stay out of the way."

"This isn't about the Ghost Pokémon attacking," the Pallet Trainer replied, getting a surprised glance from his friend and Pikachu. "If that tower's about to be cleared out, who knows when and where I'll find another Ghost Pokémon? And the longer it takes, the longer Sabrina goes unchecked."

"Well, why not tell Agatha about her while she's here?" Misty suggested once she fell into step beside Brock. "She's a Ghost-type specialist, you know. If anybody can take down Sabrina, it's her."

"Hmm, that's not a bad idea, Misty," Ash granted without breaking pace. "You can run it by her if you want, but this still might be my only chance to catch a Ghost Pokémon."

His tone dropped to where only Pikachu could hear from his shoulder, "And if we happen to find the problem and fix it, then that'll be just fine."

Pikachu nodded, now understanding why his Trainer was acting oddly selfish earlier. He was using it as an excuse to investigate the Pokémon Tower.

The sky seemed to darken as they headed further to the edge of Lavender Town. Misty and Brock shivered while Ash continued as if the ominous atmosphere wasn't there. Once they passed between two buildings, the Pokémon Tower was in sight, causing the two Gym Leaders to stop in shock.

The entire courtyard of the derelict building was covered in shadowy mist, a set of streetlights warped with their light bulbs shattered. All of the trees were withered and leafless, as if being choked out by the mist itself. The eye-like windows were completely black, shadows seeming to emanate from the balcony below it and the doorless passage at the tower's base.

As if it could sense them, a pair of red lights appeared behind the windows before looking down at them, the mist seeming to darken further, the sky above becoming pitch black.

Misty dragged Ash and Brock away, pulling them back behind one of the buildings, "No way! We're _not_ going in there! That _building_ just _glared_ at us! Let's just wait for Agatha to take care of it."

"Ash, I have to agree with her," the breeder tried reasoning. "If we go in there, there's no guarantee we'll be coming back out. Why don't we try a graveyard? That can have some Ghost Pokémon to catch."

A conflicted expression crossed the Pallet Trainer's face. On one hand, he wanted to help. On the other, he didn't want to give his mother a heart attack when she heard that he walked into a place like _that_ when the issue was about to be resolved anyway. Still…

"I can't just ignore this," he argued softly.

Misty pinched the bridge of her nose, "So it _is_ about the ghosts attacking. Ash, you don't have to be the hero all the time. This is _one_ problem you can take a back seat to. With luck, Agatha can take care of Sabrina too. If I were in your place, I'd be grateful for the break!"

"But what if fighting the Ghost Pokémon isn't the answer?" Ash asked. "They must be hurting, and even capturing them probably wouldn't help anything. They'll just be angry and bitter forever."

His two companions looked at each other uneasily, so the Pallet Trainer pressed his advantage, "If I can just find a way to talk to the ghosts, maybe I can fix things."

"But how?" Brock asked. "If we can find a way, then I'm all for it, but it doesn't look like there's any getting past the courtyard, much less wherever the ghosts holed themselves up."

"I'm think-"

Ash froze as he felt an ice cold hand jab into his back, straight through his backpack. His walking stick fell from his slackened hand out of shock, and everything went dark as he felt a pulling sensation.

* * *

"Ash!/Pika-pi!"

Ash's eyes started scrunching as he opened them, feeling dizzy. The sky was up above, so he figured he was on the ground and looked around for his friends. But he saw nothing but windows of the building they were standing next to, causing him to shake his head clear.

Looking around, he saw that he was in the air, prompting him to look down and see Misty, Brock and Pikachu huddled around him. At least, another him that had passed out on the street.

"No way…" He looked at himself and saw that he was translucent and giving off a blue glow, his clothes still in order, but with the colors gone. "I've been separated from my body!"

"[Do you really think you can reason with my friend?]"

Both surprised at the other voice, and the fact that he could understand beyond the Pokémon language, he whipped around to see a purple Pokémon floating behind him. **(4)** They looked to be a floating head with sinister spines and a ghost tail, along with disembodied hands at either side of their neck. His partially transparent state led Ash to assume his friends couldn't see them either.

He instinctively reached for Dexter, but realized that his Pokédex and all of his Poké Balls were back with his body.

'My body… Got used to that really fast. More on it later.' Focusing on the Pokémon before him, he asked, "Are you one of the Ghost Pokémon that's been attacking?"

"[I'm _the_ Ghost Pokémon that's been attacking,]" the purple ghost answered dourly.

"Why?"

"[Because if _I_ don't, _he_ will, and he won't miss like I do,]" they explained with a slight shudder. "[He's been like this since they came and took our friend, Gastly. I can't help him; I've tried, but he won't stop. All I can do is stop him from taking it out on the other humans by pretending to attack them myself.]"

Ash straightened his hat, more to reassure himself than any actual adjustment.

"Take me to him."

* * *

While the unseen and unheard conversation passed, Brock and Misty were trying to wake up Ash with no success. Pikachu even tried administering a minor shock, but it did nothing.

"The ghosts must've done something to him," Misty worried.

Brock put his head to Ash's chest before picking up the unconscious boy by draping him over one shoulder, "His heartbeat's still there, but it's weak. We need to get him to the Pokémon Center, quick! Get his walking stick."

Pikachu climbed up his Trainer's limp leg and onto his shoulder, anxiously watching Ash's face.

* * *

Ash followed his guide through the courtyard, the mist seeming to writhe at his presence, but otherwise staying away. It probably helped that he had no physical body to attack at that point.

He'd gotten the hang of floating relatively fast, though he had to admit that being separated from his body had to be the single weirdest experience he'd ever had. And considering what he'd gone through in Saffron that was saying something.

Once he was through the doorway, the ghost grabbed his hand so that he didn't get lost and pulled him straight up. The inside was completely dark, so Ash understood why they were helping him.

Once they were far enough up, the Trainer was tugged in another direction until they reached a dim room. It was brighter than the rest of the building, but the shadowy mist seemed thickest in this room, allowing light, but smothering all the cheer.

Before Ash, there was a playroom with a miniature carousel, a slide and a variety of toys, big and small, some plush, others plastic or wooden, and a few decorated rubber balls. If it weren't for the darkness, the room would be quite cheery.

What caught a majority of Ash's attention, though, was the small swing set, only big enough to hold one swing made of a painted wood plank and twine. A shadowy Pokémon was sitting in it facing the wall, away from him and the ghost that guided him in. The mist seemed to flow from his body, bleeding into the floor and all over the room.

"[Why, Haunter?]" the shadowy Pokémon asked. "[Why did you bring a _human_ here?]"

"I want to help," Ash answered.

The shadows seemed to darken, "[ _Go away_.]"

"[Gengar, please,]" Haunter pled. "[Just hear him out.]"

"[What can he know of what we've lost?!]" Gengar snapped, hands tightening on the ropes of the swing.

Ash let out a sigh through his nose and levitated behind Gengar, sitting cross-legged in the air level to him with his back facing the ghost.

"You're right; I don't know exactly what you're going through," he confessed. "I've never lost a friend of mine, thank goodness. But I've gone through loss. One of my Pokémon, a Butterfree, he lost someone that he really cared about—someone that he loved. It hurts me too, to have him so sad, and he's still mourning in his Poké Ball back at my body."

Haunter's spines seemed to sag as he was reminded of his own situation, trying to cheer up Gengar with no success.

Ash continued, "Maybe it's not exactly the same as losing somebody directly, but I can tell you that it's still painful.

"But lashing out at everybody like this isn't the way to fix anything," the Trainer said while turning his head slightly, seeing Gengar still facing the wall.

Turning forward again, he added, "I'm not saying you should forget your friend. That's the last thing I'd _ever_ say. There's other advice I could give, 'Cherish the friend you have left,' 'Be happy for your lost friend's sake,' or something else. But none of those have ever done _me_ any good. What I have for you is a question: Was it a red haired girl and a blue haired boy in silver clothes that came by?"

Ash felt more than heard Gengar whip around and levitate, "[How do you…?]"

The Trainer still didn't face him as he added, "I know them, as much as I wish I didn't. What if I could tell you where they were headed?"

There was a pause, and it took all of Ash's willpower to not turn around and measure Gengar's reaction.

The shadows began receding, "[Talk.]"

Letting his legs drift down to float in a standing position, the boy replied, "I want you to answer another question first. Why are you here grieving instead of looking for them?"

There was a chilling growl before Gengar replied, "[I was protecting our home from a Gyarados. Haunter was knocked out by some gas from a pink flower, and I was hit by its Hyper Beam. They were gone when the smoke cleared, and I was too weakened to look for them until it was too late. Now _tell me_. _Where_. _ARE THEY_?]"

"Saffron City," Ash answered while turning around to see Gengar floating right up in his face with glowing red eyes. "It's about half a day's walk east from Lavender Town, but you should be able to make it by air in much less time."

The glow faded and Gengar had grim determination on his face as he turned to leave immediately.

"Gengar," the Trainer called, causing the Pokémon to stop for a moment. "There's a lesson I can give you after all. Don't forget what _really_ matters to you. At the end of the day, this is just a room, and the Pokémon Tower is just a building. Friends, true ones, are irreplaceable."

Gengar's posture seemed to slacken momentarily, and Ash added, "Try to live with no regrets from now on. Goodness knows I have too many from my own failures. Now go get your friend back."

The Ghost-type turned his head slightly with an acknowledging nod before flying through the wall at high speed.

Ash let out a breath of relief after a moment, glad that he could help, even if it just meant redirecting Gengar's anger. What mattered was that the ghost had a chance to rescue his friend.

"[Thank you,]" Haunter said while moving up beside him. "[Now let's get you back to your body.]"

They left the building, seeing that it was back to its normal appearance during the day and moved to the buildings where they'd left from.

But they didn't find his body or Misty and Brock, causing Haunter to start gnawing his knuckle with worry as he looked around the multitude of buildings in Lavender Town.

"What is it?" Ash asked.

"[Uh… pulling out somebody's spirit isn't exactly… _completely_ safe,]" the ghost explained while his eyes glanced away from the Trainer. "[The body keeps going with a lower heartbeat for about twenty minutes, but… if we don't get you back in, well…]" **(5)**

Ash's jaw dropped, "I can _die_?!"

"[I didn't expect them to move your body!]" Haunter protested. "[Isn't the usual process not to move a body that's injured?]"

"Not for things like a coma!" the Pallet Trainer snapped back before he started floating back and forth in a panic. "This is bad, how long has it been? How are we supposed to search the city in the time that's left? I need to get back now! But where would they move me?"

 _'[Ash…]'_

"I'm trying to think, Haunter."

"[What? I didn't say anything.]"

 _'[Ash… calm down…]'_

Realizing that it was a different voice, Ash focused on it, "Who's there?" When he concentrated, he could feel the barest whisper of despair on the other end, as if the other voice was…

The Trainer's eyes widened, "…Butterfree?"

 _'[I felt something… that day… I used it to connect with you… Only barely touching at this distance… We're at the Pokémon Center… Come quick… I can't lose you too…]'_

"The Poké Center, of course!" Ash realized. It was obvious once he calmed down. He immediately started flying through a few buildings for a more direct route. He could also tell that he was getting closer from his read on Butterfree's emotions becoming stronger, giving away how depressed his first caught Pokémon still felt. Once he came out of the other side of a tall building, he saw the hospital below and flew down through the roof.

Floating through the hallways while still tracking Butterfree, he found his room with little effort. He stuck his head through the door to take a look around, a quiet beeping the only sound in the room.

While moving in, he saw Pikachu lying down on top of his unconscious body in the bed while staring at him. A heart monitor was set up nearby with a wire from it going under the covers.

His other Pokémon were gathered around the bed as well, save for Butterfree. Jigglypuff and Bellsprout were on the bed as well, but seated on the edge as they waited, the former worried while the latter had his eyes closed while still sitting straight up, as if meditating. Charmeleon was standing by the bed with his head propped on his arms as they were laid across the edge of the mattress, also watching his Trainer's unconscious form. Pidgeot stood next to the head of the bed, half an eye on Ash as he stood guard.

Looking around further, the boy noticed Misty and Brock sitting across from each other at a small table in the room. His Pokégear was set on the surface between them.

"The first one to three losses does it?" Misty asked.

Brock nodded, "Seems fair."

They each extended one hand in a fist and shook them twice in the air before Brock extended two fingers and Misty laid hers flat.

"One for me," the Pewter Leader noted.

Ash raised an eyebrow as he realized that his companions were playing Rock-Paper-Scissors. Out of curiosity, he stuck around to see if he could find out why.

Misty growled and the two shook again, Brock choosing paper while she used rock.

Another growl and they went again with Brock's rock beating Misty's scissors.

"How do you keep winning?!" she demanded.

"I knew you would pick paper first, since you would assume I'd choose rock," he explained. "The rest was from what I knew about you. After all, when you were really motivated to train, it wasn't to get stronger; it was to beat Ash."

Misty cradled her head in her hands while massaging her temples, "Why can't you do it? She has to like you better."

"All of this is only under the condition that Ash doesn't make it, and he's still going," Brock reminded. Then he sweat a bit, "Also, Delia wouldn't play favorites for _that_ kind of news, so… better you than me."

Shaking his head in slight amusement, Ash wasted no more time before diving into his body under the covers, lining up his legs until they felt grounded before laying back. He felt a sense of vertigo and the beeping sound in his ears started picking up, slowly at first before speeding up to his regular heart rate.

He felt Pikachu standing up on his chest as he readjusted to his body again, eyes scrunching as they felt sensitive. Seeing without a physical body had left him a bit disoriented with coming back in. And he could still feel Butterfree in his Poké Ball, the signals even stronger now that he was back in his body. Though Ash was heartened to feel relief slightly lightening the negative emotions of his Pokémon. Butterfree must've been able to sense that he had returned.

Still, the slight groan had gotten everybody's attention, and they seemed about to gather around before Pidgeot squawked something and Brock added, "Give him some air."

Pikachu moved off to be beside him, and Ash opened his eyes a crack against the suddenly bright light before he adjusted and saw his Pokémon and friends gathered around a short distance away in concern.

"Hey," he casually greeted, unsure of how else to do it. "I'm back."

Pikachu immediately tackled his chest with a hug, and Ash lifted a hand from the covers to pat him on the back, noticing a clip on his finger emitting a red light from inside.

"Back from what?" Brock asked.

Sitting up with a bit of effort, Ash related the story about how Haunter had invisibly pulled his spirit out of his body so that he could safely get inside the Pokémon Tower to talk with Gengar. He revealed that Team Rocket had taken their friend, and Gengar was taking out his misery on the townspeople.

"Since Haunter made sure not to actually hurt anybody, and Gengar's gone after Team Rocket now, I think we can just move on," Ash finished while removing the clip from his finger and moving to get out of bed.

"But what about catching a Ghost Pokémon for Saffron Gym?" Misty asked. "You're not seriously going to challenge Sabrina again without one, are you?"

"I'll figure something out," he replied. "Pikachu would've won if Kadabra hadn't grabbed him with Psychic. I just need to figure out a counter to it. Maybe use one of my other Pokémon. What I need to do is figure out a way to short out Kadabra's sight if illusions like Double Team aren't enough."

Speaking up, Charmeleon let out a puff of smoke from his nostrils.

"A smokescreen?" the Pallet Trainer asked, receiving a nod. Thinking it over, he answered, "Sorry, but I think that Kadabra would just use a psychic pulse to sweep it away. Good effort, though."

The Flame Pokémon sulked a bit at being unable to help, but Ash patted him on the back in consolation.

"Hey, chin up. We're a team, so we build off each other's strength and cover our weaknesses. We win together, got it?"

Charmeleon looked up at him in slight awe before recomposing himself and nodding firmly.

Brock smiled, "You've become a great Trainer, Ash."

Misty, however, snuck out of the room with a worried expression. Once she was outside, she ran off, looking around the lobby and moving on to the Pokémon Tower once she didn't find who she was looking for.

* * *

Team Rocket's airship was parked outside Saffron City now, about a mile away in the same spot as before. They hadn't made their move on Saffron Gym yet since they needed to train Gastly to battle.

However, according to Burton, the Ghost-type was being exceedingly difficult, refusing to listen to a single word the scout said. Occasionally, he even turned invisible and stayed that way for hours.

Once James had heard this, he decided that it couldn't stand. If concessions had to be made, then so be it. Putting on his best face, he walked into the hold where Burton and Gastly were. The Pokémon was still facing away from his current Trainer, refusing to even acknowledge his presence.

"Hello," he pleasantly greeted.

Gastly glanced at him before proceeding to ignore both of them.

James walked up right behind him, "Now, now, let's not be so harsh. I believe you'll be interested in what I have to say."

The ghost briefly looked at him again.

"We understand that you don't want to be separated from your friends," the Officer said gently, wagering that the Haunter and Gengar were the ghost's companions of many years. "We've lost a friend ourselves and just want to get him back. And Team Rocket always helps those who help us."

He had Gastly's full attention now, but kept his hands to himself. While he'd usually pet a Pokémon or put a hand on another human's shoulder while continuing, to show he was on their side, he felt that the contact would be unwelcome with Gastly. Instead he held his hands in front of himself palm-up, as if presenting a case.

"All you have to do is help us out of this little situation and we'll release you to come back to the tower, and we'll never bother you or your ghostly trio again," James offered while putting one hand behind his back and gesturing with the other by waving it to the side in a smooth motion, the universal gesture for granting passage or permission.

He knew that Jessie would be severely displeased, but couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. If she honestly thought keeping Gastly was more important than getting Meowth back, then he truly didn't know her as well as he thought.

Gastly looked into James' eyes, and found no hints of lying. The blue-haired human genuinely wanted Meowth back, and the Ghost Pokémon could see that he would be willing to pay any price, releasing him included.

At length, Gastly nodded and flew back to Burton.

James bowed his head, "Thank you." Turning to Burton, he said, "You have until tomorrow morning to bring him up to par. With his invisibility, he should be able to avoid most psychic attacks, but he needs to know how to attack too, preferably from a distance."

Burton saluted his superior officer as he left and began instructing Gastly, the Ghost-type now listening with full attention so that he could be free quicker.

* * *

Ash, Misty and Brock were leaving Lavender Town as the sun started heading to the east, the former looking through his Pokédex to see if there were any moves that could come in handy against Sabrina.

Haunter had disappeared, likely to go find Gengar and Gastly. But as Ash had said, he could find another way to defeat Sabrina.

Though he privately wondered if defeating her was really the answer. The way that Gengar had behaved seemed rather similar to the Saffron Gym Leader. Even with Haunter patrolling around to make sure that everybody stayed away like that man. The parallel only furthered his suspicion that the man was close to her somehow.

But he shook off that line of thought to continue checking for moves that his Pokémon could learn. Just because fighting her might not be the solution didn't mean that he was going to go in without a way to defend himself. If it came down to a fight, he wanted to make sure he had a chance to win so he could walk away and come back to try helping Sabrina again.

He remembered the doll persona and how she always seemed to want friends, even if she went about it all wrong, trapping them so they couldn't escape.

'Or leave her,' he mused. Feeling a bit sorry for the girl, Ash continued scrolling through the moves until he saw one that sounded promising.

He looked to Pikachu on his shoulder, "What do you think, Pikachu? You up for some training tonight?"

Pikachu nodded, sure that his Trainer had a plan.

* * *

Misty watched as Ash started planning with Pikachu, feeling a bit sorry that she'd had to go behind his back.

The redhead had found Agatha examining the Pokémon Tower, seeming curious about why it was empty when she was called to clear it out.

She'd told the member of the Elite Four everything. What Sabrina had done, her psychic powers, the toy box, coming to Lavender Town, and even that Ash had helped the Ghost Pokémon inside the tower move on.

While the ghost specialist seemed interested in the latter point, she had promised that she would look into Saffron Gym straightaway before flying off with the assistance of her Gengar. With that in mind, she would surely reach Saffron City before them.

Misty just knew that Ash would try to help Sabrina the same way that he had helped the ghosts in the Pokémon Tower. She couldn't let him needlessly put himself in danger. Sabrina didn't seem like she could be reasoned with like a grieving Pokémon.

'Sorry, Ash. This is for your own good. You can't stop Sabrina, so I'll save you from yourself. I'm not letting you throw away your life for your ideals.'

* * *

 **Notes:**

 **1\. Turrets are structures in medieval castle design. They are smaller towers placed upon another tower to assist in keeping a lookout. While they're typically placed at the top of towers instead of the middle, I couldn't think of any other term for the small structures.**

 **2\. They're leaving towards the sunset at the end of _Abra and the Psychic Showdown_ , so Lavender Town is west from Saffron in the anime.**

 **3\. In the episode _Just Waiting On A Friend_ , the Ninetales there had a very ornate, antique Poké Ball and was unable to leave the mansion she waited at, reportedly because of the sphere itself preventing it. And apparently she couldn't just smash it, so this is my reasoning for that.**

 **4\. Ash is apparently able to understand Haunter while he's a ghost, enough to repeat what he said so that the audience can understand it in _The Tower of Terror_. I extended it to understanding all Pokémon while a ghost, the same as how he can see without physical eyes as a spirit.**

 **5\. I mean, there had to have been some sort of danger to having their spirit pulled out. Not sure if I exactly pulled it off right, but I hope it at least somewhat made sense. :P**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	28. Chapter 28: Reaching for a Friend

**Review Responses:**

 ** _Draph91_** **: Yeah, the real point is that she's not necessarily wrong to try sending Agatha to Saffron Gym**

 ** _Fox McCloude_** **: I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter, and I noticed that you posted the first chapter of the Spanish translation, so I'm happy to see that.**

 ** _BbK2442_** **(Answered via PM): In order:**

 **1\. The piano was a mixture of both. He _had_ grabbed the piano with telekinesis like the other objects, and manipulated it, but the teeth were an illusion he added for extra intimidation.**

 **3\. As far as I know, the non-Alolan Ninetales is strictly a Fire-type. However, it has powerful illusion magic in keeping with the mystic foxes of Japanese mythology. And, like ghosts, the older they are, the more mystical power they have which is reminiscent of the amount of tails a magic fox possessed being a sign of their age/power. From what I recall, the Ninetales in that particular episode had been waiting for around two hundred years.**

 ** _BrightNova169_** **(Answered via PM): Answers to your questions:**

 **1\. Some people theorize that Ghost Pokémon are human ghosts transformed. Maybe Haunter had an out of body experience as a human and decided to stay a ghost.**

 **2\. James would do his best to convince them to honor the agreement. He's not he kind to renege on a deal.**

 **P.S. My favorite ghost is Golurk, simply because of aesthetic. If we're limiting it to the Kanto Elite Four, I'd have to say Lance. Bruno's a close second since Fighting-types are my favorite type, but his character in the games leaves much to be desired.**

 ** _The Sinful_** **: LOL, that's true. Except Ash is not a Soul Reaper, his body is perishable goods.**

 ** _Noctis Sol_** **: Yeah, I just couldn't resist.**

 ** _Engineer1869_** **: I'm glad that you enjoyed, and you won't have to wait anymore to find out.**

 ** _Theseus_** **: Thanks!**

 **Now, on with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 28: Reaching for a Friend

Agatha arrived at Saffron City early that evening. She wasn't sure whether the Gym would still be open to challenges, but from her limited understanding, it sounded like it also functioned as Sabrina's home nowadays. In emergencies, such courtesies as announcing one's self were often laid aside.

'If she's already asleep, then it'll be all the easier for Gengar to keep her that way for us to transport her.'

She honestly wasn't sure what they could do. Psychics were still relatively new in how they were dealt with. They couldn't keep normal people from being afraid of them, and they didn't even have an ideal prison for holding one.

Agatha's mouth twisted in distaste, 'And if she's as powerful as the little redhead said, even if a teleport-proof prison existed, it likely wouldn't hold to her psychic powers' strength. We might have to keep her asleep and execute her for the safety of the public.'

With her Gengar hovering invisibly beside her in case she was attacked, the ghost specialist strode towards Saffron Gym. But as she turned the corner, she saw a man in a teal jacket with an orange cap standing between her and the white building.

Stopping with a finger tapping her cane, she raised an eyebrow at him, "Can I help you?"

"I never thought that the Elite Four would pay a visit to Saffron City," he casually commented. "May I ask what emergency prompted your visit? I know the leaders of our fair region don't come for just anything, and you don't strike me as a tourist."

"I was in Lavender Town investigating some attacks from Ghost Pokémon only to find the Pokémon Tower already cleared out," Agatha replied, finger going still. "But I received another report that the Saffron Gym Leader is out of control."

"I see," the man sighed. "I never imagined it would come to this."

"Are you close to Sabrina?" the Elite Four member asked. "From your reactions, a more paranoid person would brand you an accomplice."

"Yes, and quite the opposite," he answered. "Not that it matters right now. You won't recall."

Agatha's eyes widened as he looked up to meet her eyes before glancing where her Gengar was, eyes glimmering. The Shadow Pokémon fell down, becoming visible as she slipped into unconsciousness.

"What did you do?!"

"There's a single ability I've trained that my daughter has no knowledge of," the man stated. His irises were glowing white, leaving the pupils as muted black dots. "From training borne out of my deepest regret at fleeing from my family, now nothing escapes my mind's eye, and no mental resistance is too great for me to pierce." **(1)**

"You…! This is high treason!" Agatha snapped, knowing that she had no chance of escaping without Gengar's assistance.

The gaze of Sabrina's father didn't falter for an instant, "I'll do anything to ensure my daughter's safety."

As everything went dark, Agatha last heard, "I'll see you safely back to Lavender Town to return and file your report that there was nothing at the tower."

* * *

"One more time to make sure, Pikachu."

Pikachu charged up some electricity and a flash of yellow light flared outward in all directions, Ash's hand shielding his eyes even if he could see traces of brightness through his fingers.

Once it died down, he lowered his hand with a smile, "Perfect. Meowth may need light, but you can make your own with electricity and magnify it. Kadabra won't know what hit him!"

The Electric-type nodded, but looked at his hand, thinking of a way to channel electricity from his practicing with Thunder. He'd need a faster hit to have a chance of catching Kadabra off guard before he could teleport.

"[Ash!]"

When he had his Trainer's attention, Pikachu tapped two fingers to the side of his head, "[I thought of a new move.]"

"You've got something to show me?" Ash asked.

Pikachu nodded since it was close enough. Taking a solid stance with his feet spread apart, the Electric Mouse Pokémon tried manipulating the electricity in his body to his hand, small sparks traveling down the fur as he did so. It was partially successful, but didn't feel much different from launching it directly from his cheeks, so he released the control and allowed it to disperse back to his body.

"Take your time, Pikachu," the Trainer reassured, sitting down to get comfortable. "You seem to have an idea; try thinking it out."

Pikachu sighed and sat down with his arms crossed, as he'd seen Ash do when thinking. Closing his eyes, he tried puzzling out what he wanted his electricity to do.

'I need it to be faster…' The Electric-type tried thinking of how to achieve it. The image of Kingler using Surf crossed his mind, a surge of virtually uncontrolled water that couldn't be stopped, only dodged.

'I have power, but it doesn't mean anything if it doesn't hit.'

Squirtle using Water Gun appeared next, a smaller amount of water with greater control, but less power.

'Hrm, I'm not sure that less would increase the speed. It would be great to have power, control and speed all in one.'

Unbidden, an image appeared of Squirtle with enough water to make a Surf attack gushing out of his mouth, the Tiny Turtle Pokémon appearing rather uncomfortable as the knockback had him pressed against a wall.

A snort managed to escape before he brought it under control in light of Ash's questioning expression. He tried to focus, but stopped and went back to the image. Switching the wall for a braced stance on all fours, Pikachu imagined his teammate's mouth gradually closing to create a smaller opening, the stream of water thinning, but becoming more powerful as it sprayed forth.

"[That's it!]"

Jumping to his feet, he charged electricity to his hand again, concentrating it into a single finger. As he packed more energy, he found the strain to be too much for one finger, so he extended another one and split it between the two. By the end of his charge, he had what felt like an entire Thunderbolt concentrated into two fingers, begging to be aimed and released.

Obliging, the Electric Mouse Pokémon jabbed his fingers toward a somewhat distant tree and shouted, "[Fire!]"

The resulting blast was a thin beam of concentrated electricity that shot forward with a small bang similar to thunder aside from the lower volume. Pikachu also got knocked back from the recoil since he'd forgotten to set his stance. But the attack connected with the tree in under a second, punching a shallow hole in the bark and thoroughly singing the inside of the divot as well as lightly burning the outside as the electricity dispersed.

Ash helped Pikachu sit up while looking at the result with an impressed whistle, "Good impact, high power and great speed. Fix your footwork, and that can be a useful standard move. Great job, Pikachu!"

The Electric Pokémon beamed at the praise and got back up as his Trainer continued musing, "Now, all we need is a name… Hmm, it flies through the air, hits pretty hard, and is quick."

He snapped his fingers, "Got it! Lightning Arrow, since it's both made of electricity and strikes with lightning speed!"

"[Awesome!]" Pikachu agreed while standing up.

Ash nodded back, "All right, let's give it another go before bed. If we're going to fight Sabrina, you can't afford to get knocked over like that."

* * *

Burton walked ahead of his superior officers, all three of them in street clothes to disguise their affiliation with Team Rocket. Gastly's Poké Ball was in his pocket, and he had taught the ghost Night Shade the previous evening. So long as he stayed invisible, he should be safe from any counterattacks.

Once they reached the building, a man jogged by, stopping to talk to them, "Excuse me, you wouldn't happen to be challenging Saffron Gym, would you?"

"If you're here to warn us, we know," Jessie retorted.

James frowned and added, "She has a friend of ours, and we're going to get him back."

"We came prepared," Burton chimed in.

Frowning slightly, the man continued his morning run. But, unknown to the trio of agents, he turned into an alleyway a short distance away and teleported into one of the trees near Saffron Gym to extend his senses inside as he saw the elder teens waiting outside.

* * *

Once he was inside, Burton found and persuaded somebody to point him to the arena.

The scout opened one of the double doors and closed it behind him, after which Burton immediately stepped forward into the challenger's box.

"Sabrina, I'm here on behalf of my superior officers to challenge you for Meowth's freedom."

The veil lifted, revealing the Saffron Gym Leader and her doll. The latter giggled and replied, "Sure! But if you lose, you have to be my friend too."

Knowing that it was a euphemism for being turned into a doll, the scout steeled himself and answered, "So long as you keep your end of the deal when I win."

The Gym Leader levitated from her throne to her box as the stadium lights turned on. Her Poké Ball levitated from the doll's hands as she blandly stated, "Go, Kadabra."

As the Psi Pokémon appeared, Burton reached into his pants pocket and expanded the Poké Ball he pulled out of it. He had already adjusted the max distance to allow enough freedom of movement to travel the whole arena.

Throwing it, the scout commanded, "Gastly, conceal yourself!"

The sphere opened and the white energy zipped around as it lost its glow, revealing nothing but air. Burton knew that the Ghost-type had turned invisible and flown around as he emerged to throw off detection.

"So, you captured a Ghost Pokémon," Sabrina noted.

"That I did. Night Shade, Gastly," Burton commanded.

For a brief moment, the shape of Gastly's eyes was visible as they appeared behind Kadabra, colored by black energy. A bolt of the dark substance fired outward, hitting the Psychic-type's back.

Kadabra was knocked forward, but teleported away before hitting the ground. He reappeared behind Gastly, but the ghost's eyes had disappeared, leaving the Psi Pokémon fruitlessly searching the arena as he used Recover to heal with a golden glimmer.

Burton watched the healing move, recalling what James had told him after researching Kadabra's flash card.

 _"It has four definitively known psychic moves. Teleport does exactly what it sounds like, Psychic is a powerful telekinetic attack, whether it's a burst or seizing the opponent, and Confusion is also telekinesis, but specializes in redirecting moves._

 _"What you need to watch out for is Recover. It heals up any damage so long as the user is still conscious, and can be used up to ten times. Of course, these are just the_ known _moves, so watch out for any surprises."_

'So far, so good,' the scout mused while watching Gastly take another potshot at Kadabra from above.

After using Recover again, Sabrina commanded, "Kadabra, use Psychic to reveal the ghost." It had worked for disrupting Double Team, so it was the best chance she had at catching Gastly.

"Necro-Torpedo," Burton commanded, having foreseen that particular tactic.

As the telekinetic pulse disrupted the air, Burton casually kept his hands in his pockets as the force made him squint his eyes slightly.

Kadabra was searching for any sign of his opponent when his eyes abruptly shut in discomfort. The way his head bent forward and a slime-like substance appeared over his face hinted at the attack, and Gastly reappeared as the Psychic-type fell forward, quivering on the ground in a paralyzed state. The ghost's tongue hung out, revealing that he'd used Lick.

Burton gave a slight smirk. Necro-Torpedo had Gastly travel through the floor to sneak up on his opponent for an attack. He hadn't trained him to use any attack in particular, but Lick seemed to be a huge success.

Still, Gastly kept out of Kadabra's line of sight and readied another Night Shade from behind while the Psi Pokémon was stunned.

"Enough."

Both Burton and the ghost turned to her, seeing that the doll was gone and Sabrina had her Poké Ball held out to recall Kadabra. Had they noticed one hand held behind her turned body, they would've seen her other hand trembling with the passed on fear from her Pokémon.

The doll emerged from a doorway to the right of the throne in the sectioned off part of the room, holding Meowth still as a doll. He was levitated over to the middle of the arena and flashed white. The feline Pokémon grew and started visibly squirming to get out of the psychic grip.

When the light faded, he was dropped to the ground. Meowth immediately scurried across the rest of the distance and hid behind Burton's leg with fearful whining.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou…" the Pokémon rapidly muttered.

"Take your Pokémon," Sabrina commanded. "Never return here."

Burton nodded and picked up Meowth, who clung to the front of his shirt, "Come on, Gastly, we should keep you as insurance until we're all out of Saffron City."

The Ghost-type pouted slightly at his freedom being delayed, but followed along anyway. As long as his Poké Ball was held, he really didn't have a choice in traveling with them, even if he could disobey them.

* * *

Sabrina's father deactivated his eyes, disheartened at his daughter remaining the same. Some emotion had leaked back through, but it wasn't enough. While at least she wasn't so far gone as to go back on her word, it seemed a defeat wasn't enough.

He had always thought it was her striving to be perfect that led to her current state, but it appeared he was wrong. If that were the case, she likely would've broken down after a loss, allowing her dammed emotions to flow again so he could finally return to help her instead of keeping his distance to avoid the same fate as his wife.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he lamented the apparent fact that he didn't know his daughter as well as he thought.

* * *

Once Burton was out of Saffron Gym, Meowth squirmed out of his grip to run back to Jessie and James.

"Jessie! James! You two numbskulls really pulled through for Meowth!" he cried while hugging their legs.

"We may be mean and nasty, but we'd never abandon one of our teammates," Jessie replied while shaking her leg slightly. "Now let go; you're crying all over my designer jeans."

James chuckled, "We're more than just teammates, Meowth. We're friends. We'd always come back for you."

He then turned his gaze back to Saffron Gym, "Now let's get out of here before Sabrina changes her mind."

"[I _FOUND_ YOU!]"

Meowth's fur instantly stood on end at the three words, hiding behind James, and the other agents stiffened at the chill that filled the area as well as the sudden darkness surrounding them in the morning.

"No… it _couldn't_ have followed us all the way out here," Jessie denied in a disbelieving tone.

The darkness seemed to coalesce before it gained glowing red eyes and solidified into Gengar. The Shadow Pokémon had his teeth bared in a snarl and looked every bit like he wanted to eat their souls. Gastly was surprised, having never seen such a ferocious side of his friend.

"W-wait!" James begged with hands outstretched. "We were _going_ to release Gastly soon anyway."

"We _WHAT_?!" Jessie demanded of her partner.

"We _just_ wanted him to help us get Meowth back," he bit out to the female Officer. James then turned to the scout beside him, "Burton, Gastly's Poké Ball, now!"

Burton handed the sphere over and the blue-haired teen hit the release mechanism, causing a pale blue halo of light to temporarily envelop Gastly as he was freed from the Poké Ball's confinement.

"See? He hasn't been harmed in any way, shape or form," James calmly explained while pocketing the now vacant sphere. "We just needed his help."

The Gas Pokémon flew back to his friend's side as Gengar crossed his arms with narrowed eyes, "[And you think I'll just _let you go_ after you took my friend?]"

"Hey, we let 'im go," Meowth meekly protested from his hiding place.

"[ _Quiet_ ,]" the ghost commanded as his gaze fell on the feline Pokémon. Meowth whimpered, still fearful after his last encounter with the supernatural.

"[But you know what? After a chat with a friendly kid, I'm in a _somewhat_ merciful mood now that Gastly's back,]" Gengar mused while reclining in the air to look down at the bunch. "[I won't punish you right away, but know this: The next time you really need it, your strength _will_ fail you. You _and_ your Pokémon.]"

As if to punctuate the point, his pupils gained a dark purple color before fading back to their black color. Team Rocket felt a chill sweep over them for a moment, but it passed as Gengar turned to Gastly with a smile.

"[Whaddya say, Gastly? Now that we're together again, let's find Haunter and catch up. We met an interesting kid while you were gone.]"

The two ghosts turned invisible, and after a moment for the warmth to come back to the air, the trio of humans and Meowth fell to their knees, breathing hard.

"That was way too close," James mumbled.

Burton shivered, "That ghost could've killed us, easily."

Meowth just clung to the nearest source of comfort, namely James, with a scared mutter.

"This has been… the worst city we've ever visited," Jessie declared once she caught her breath. "Let's get out of here. We can find the next closest Gym and meet the twerps on the way."

There was unanimous agreement, and the criminals fled as fast as their feet and fear could carry them.

* * *

Under the afternoon sun, Ash looked upon Saffron City once again as he emerged from the forest to its west, Misty and Brock behind him.

Since Pikachu was ready for battle, he'd spent the rest of the way since that morning figuring out how he was going to help Sabrina. The Pallet Trainer wasn't sure if it would work, but as long as he was able to win the battle, he could always keep coming back to try again.

'I want Sabrina to realize she's not alone,' he thought to himself while moving through the city itself. 'If that means coming back over and over to prove it myself, then that's just the way it'll have to be.'

Unseen by Ash, Misty was looking nervous as they approached their destination. She was still trying to figure out how to break the news that she'd sent Agatha ahead to deal with Sabrina.

The trio soon reached Saffron Gym, only for the bearded man from before to teleport into their path.

"You returned," he noted.

Ash shrugged, "For me, there was never any doubt about that."

"Do you have a Ghost Pokémon, young man?" the psychic asked. "More than ever, you'll need one to face Sabrina."

Misty's eyes widened at the news that Sabrina was still in the Gym.

The Pallet Trainer shook his head, "No, I didn't get the chance to catch one. But I have the next best thing. One way or another, I'm going to save your daughter."

Lurching away, the man asked, "H-how did you find out?"

" _You_ told me," Ash answered, "just now. I always figured you were close to Sabrina, though, from how closely you guard her."

He groaned with his hand over his eyes, 'I can't _believe_ I fell for that old trick.' The man then lowered the limb to look at the Trainer, "All right, you got me. Sabrina is my daughter. I've been trying to protect others from her while figuring out a way to save her. A trio came by shortly before you, and they managed to defeat her, but she's still been the same."

Ash hummed, "A trio? But if they were getting Meowth back…"

He shook his head at the questioning gaze from the elder psychic, "Just thinking out loud. Anyway, I thought that defeating her wouldn't be enough. All the same, I don't plan to lose if it comes to a battle."

"Wait, Ash," Misty called. "If defeating her isn't enough to stop Sabrina, maybe it's best to just leave."

"I know that you sent Agatha here, Misty," he replied. When she flinched, the Trainer continued, "No, I'm not mad. I'm the one who said you could, after all. I just figured it'd be pointless since I doubt we're the first ones that tried to call the cops." Looking up to the bearded man, he asked, "Am I right, mister?"

Closing his eyes with a sigh, the father muttered, "Everything that I did was to protect my daughter, to save her from condemning herself."

"I know. I ran into a similar situation at Lavender Town." With a deep breath, Ash readied himself, "I'm going in." Then he let out a brief chuckle, "I managed to talk down a ghost mad with grief, let's see if I can keep the ball rolling."

"You possess a rare empathy," Sabrina's father commented. "Most would flee or attack that which they don't understand."

"I already know what I don't like," the Pallet Trainer cryptically replied. "Sabrina's not all bad, she just needs somebody. And nobody should be hurt for abilities they're born with or gain; it's what people do with them that should count."

After a brief pause, the man said, "I'll be watching, ready to pull you out if things go bad. Good luck."

With that said, he teleported away.

As Ash took a step forward, Misty rushed ahead and barred his way with her hands held out.

The Pallet Trainer sighed, "Misty, do you really have to do this now?"

"I'm _not_ going to let you throw your life away!" she retorted. "You turn around, or… I'll tell your mom!"

Ash raised an eyebrow, "Do you even _have_ my home phone number? Anyway, I plan to tell her after today anyway."

" _Assuming_ you make it out," Misty replied. "Why can't you just look after yourself for once?"

"That's why I've trained to beat Sabrina in battle," the Pallet Trainer answered. "I have to do this, Misty, now get out of my way."

The redhead crossed her arms, "I'm not going to support this. If you wanna risk your life, I'm not going to get caught in the crossfire."

Ash seemed to think about it for a moment before nodding, "All right. Wait out here, then."

Misty blinked, "Huh?"

"If you don't want to, I'm not gonna force you. And it's actually easier for me if you're out here," the boy easily stated. Then he turned to Pikachu on his shoulder, "You still with me, Pikachu?"

The Electric-type nodded determinedly without a moment's hesitation, "[You _bet_!]"

"Wait," Brock called. "I'll go with you too."

"No. Misty's right about one thing; it's dangerous if things go bad. I don't want you in trouble like that again," the Trainer explained as he turned back to the Gym. "This is my battle, so you stay out here where it's safer."

"I'm not letting you face this alone," the breeder insisted. "You had my back at Maiden's Peak, and I should have yours here."

"That was me _defending_ you," Ash argued. "This is me walking into a very dangerous place. I appreciate it, Brock, but I can concentrate better if it's just me and Pikachu."

"You're crazy!" Misty accused.

The Pallet Trainer shrugged his free shoulder as he stepped around her, "If I have to be crazy to do the right thing, fine."

The glass doors slid open to admit him and Pikachu before shutting. Misty watched as if Ash's tomb just closed behind him.

Brock put a hand on her shoulder, "Trust him to succeed."

"Why is he risking his life for somebody who tried to trap him?" she asked.

"Like he said, Sabrina is a threat to everyone who comes near Saffron Gym," the breeder answered. "Though I think a small part is because he feels sorry for her. I don't know why since he hasn't told me what and if he's figured anything out about Sabrina."

* * *

Ash remembered the way from the last time he'd visited. He moved straight down the center hallway, passing by the training room for the hopeful psychics. Although neither he nor Pikachu noticed somebody spot them and begin following as he passed by one of the intersections in the Gym.

Letting himself in through the arena door, he found Sabrina sitting in her throne with the veil already up, as if she knew that he was coming.

'With her powers that might not be too far from the truth' he mused.

The Pallet Trainer pointedly stopped outside of the Trainer box as he regarded Sabrina from across the arena.

"So you've come for a rematch," she stated.

Her doll giggled, "Even after my Kadabra beat up your Pikachu last time? You don't stand a chance."

"I'm not here for a battle."

If Ash didn't know better, he'd have sworn that a flicker of confusion passed through Sabrina's eyes. But he was very far away, and he figured it wouldn't be that easy to break through.

"Pikachu will defend me if it comes to that, but that's not the main reason I'm here," he explained while letting Pikachu down to the ground. "I'm here to talk to you, Sabrina."

Now he knew he saw a change in her expression, since her eyes were narrowed with suspicion.

"If you're gonna read my mind, I'll just come clean right now," Ash interrupted. "Yes, I see you as a threat to those around you. Who wouldn't when you trap people that lose to you? But I don't think that you're really evil."

Taking a deep breath since he knew the next words would be a huge risk, "You just think you're alone, and that you have to stay that way."

Right as he expected, a telekinetic burst swept across the whole arena and knocked him off his feet, sending him crashing into the door. He gasped from the impact as air was forced from his lungs before falling forward, barely catching himself on his hands.

Pikachu ran towards him, "[Ash!]"

"Enough stalling," Sabrina commanded. "Send out your Pokémon at once. Or you're going back to the toy box."

"Pikachu," Ash whispered. "No matter what happens, stay focused on the battle. Give Kadabra an inch and it'll wind up the same as last time."

With that command given, he stood up and groaned as his back popped. Making his way into the Trainer box with Pikachu at his heels, he called, "All right, if that's how it's gonna be. Officially, I challenge you to a rematch."

Sabrina levitated to her own box, and the ball floated from the doll's hands as the Leader intoned, "Go, Kadabra."

Kadabra appeared on Sabrina's side of the arena, the same as last time.

"Pikachu," Ash said to the Pokémon beside him, "you know what to do."

The Electric-type nodded and remained upright as he walked to his own starting position. Assuming it was the same as last time with no official starting call, he immediately fired a Lightning Arrow. He kept his feet planted firmly so that he was only pushed back a little along the smooth floor.

Kadabra's eyes widened at the speed of the move, and he couldn't teleport in time to avoid it, taking the blow directly in the chest and being knocked back with the concentrated electricity dispersing through his body. He pulled himself up, though, and used Recover to heal off the bruise and burns that started forming.

Meanwhile, Ash called over the arena, "While our Pokémon are battling, I'm going to finish what I was saying earlier. Sabrina, you might think that you don't need friends, or that they'll only make you weak, but you're wrong. Just look at what your doll does. She has to be some sort of extension of your mind, and she tries to lock people up."

He felt a wave of force press down on him, but the Trainer endured it with barely a grunt as he refused to fall to his knees, "Any 'friends' that are kept in the toy box can't escape. And she also turns them into dolls, toys to take the place of real friends."

Ash grit his teeth with a louder groan as the pressure redoubled and Pikachu worked hard to focus on speeding around Kadabra with Agility to keep out of his sight while taking shots with Lightning Arrow. The Psi Pokémon had already been forced to use Recover twice more, teleporting out of the way of other shots at the sound of the telltale bang. Flash was being kept as a hidden ace since the same trick likely wouldn't work twice.

"You don't need to do this, Sabrina," Ash grit out, the telekinesis pressing his head down to where his chin was pressed against his chest. "I can be your friend. Even if I can't stop my journey, I'll be one phone call and flight away."

Across the arena, the doll in Sabrina's arms actually looked scared. The Leader's eyes were glowing red as she continued using telekinesis.

"You'd run away," the doll muttered. "They all ran away…"

"I promise, I wouldn't," Ash called as earnestly as he could under the crushing force that finally made his knees give out and brought him to all fours. "I'll come back again as many times as it takes for you to believe me."

"Liar!" Sabrina accused as the pressure released and Ash was lifted by his neck, struggling for breath. "Everybody left. My friends, once they found out what I am. My father, when my powers surpassed his and he tried to stop me from growing. My mother is the only one who stayed, because I forced her to."

Her anger passed through to Kadabra, who let out a psychic burst that threw Pikachu off his feet. The Electric-type could feel the eyes on him and released Flash, causing Kadabra to cry out as the light blinded him.

The Pallet Trainer was barely registering the development as he clutched at his throat. But the pressure suddenly let up slightly, allowing him to take some gasping breaths even as he was still floating. From Sabrina's open shock, it wasn't her doing. The doll seemed to have taken a back seat to the events as it was hugging itself, like a fearful and lonely child would.

Straining against the still somewhat tight hold, he saw the brunet he'd met on his first visit holding his hand out with a tense expression as he emerged from the opened door.

Sabrina looked shocked as one of her own students turned against her. Even though he was clearly trembling from the strain with fearful eyes, his mental voice was loud and clear as he spoke privately to her, _'Forgive me, great one, but too many have rejected us psychics. I cannot allow you to extinguish this hope for the future.'_

Eyes narrowing at the betrayal, the Saffron Leader redoubled her efforts, causing her student to begin straining harder as Ash felt the vice around his neck getting tighter again. A red spot started growing from behind the man's hospital mask.

Pikachu, despite Ash's orders, hadn't been ignoring the attack on his Trainer and lined himself up on the arena, charging up another Lightning Arrow while Kadabra lobbed uncontrolled psychic blasts around the arena while still blinded.

He fired a Lightning Arrow, knowing that he was too far away for it to connect with the psychic.

The bang tipped him off to the attack, allowing him to teleport away, even while still blinded. But the electric attack continued on to Sabrina, whose eyes widened before she redirected her efforts to diverting the concentrated electricity.

As a result, the chokehold on Ash lifted, prompting her student to drop to his knees with a groan, blood dripping from his chin now.

"Attacking the Gym Leader is against the rules," she said with a glare at the Electric-type.

Pikachu didn't take his eyes off Kadabra as he continued maneuvering around the blasts, "[What're you talking about? I just missed Kadabra.]"

Meanwhile, the Pallet Trainer kneeled beside the man that saved him, his voice a little hoarse, "Are you okay?"

 _'I just strained myself…'_ he answered while taking out some tissues from his smock and taking off his dirty hospital mask. Touching the tissues to the stain on his face, the telepath added, _'I'll be fine.'_

"Hey," Ash smiled, "you got telepathy down." He then turned back to the battle, seeing Sabrina glaring at them from her own spot. Unconsciously, he took half a step forward, partially obscuring the brunet from view.

The Saffron Leader looked perplexed at the protective move, and the Pallet Trainer continued his appeal.

"Sabrina, you're not really alone," he called with his damaged voice. "You only _think_ you are. Your students, they would be there for you too if you let them."

"He is right," the telepath chimed in, managing to stand up while still holding the tissues to his nose. "Great Sabrina, you took each of us in when we were all alone. You taught us how to control our powers and unlock the other disciplines."

"Recover," Sabrina ordered as Kadabra got knocked down by another Lightning Arrow, tears running from behind the Psi Pokémon's eyelids from the use of Flash. Again, he healed off the damage from the electric burns, but his eyes remained shut.

"You have been our teacher and caretaker for years," the brunet continued. "Let us help you in return, I implore you!"

Sabrina remained stonily silent. But the doll seemed unsure and gingerly asked while still hugging herself, "…Do you really promise?"

"I always keep my promises," Ash replied, his voice starting to recover. "One call to my Pokégear, and I'll be over as fast as I can."

"And we students will be here to support you," the telepath promised. "You have my word that we all feel the same."

Sabrina's arms started trembling as the doll smiled and slowly vanished away, dropping Kadabra's Poké Ball. The Gym Leader fell to her knees at the same time as Kadabra sat back with his eyes still closed, and both began weeping.

Pikachu stopped his attack as the brunet telepath rushed across the arena and Ash followed as well as his sore body allowed. The Electric-type was about to follow, but looked at Kadabra sobbing and focused on comforting him instead.

"Great Sabrina," the telepath uttered, unsure whether or not to put a hand on her shoulder.

Ash kneeled right beside her, but also didn't touch, "We're right here. Just let it all out and take all the time you need."

Another voice called out, "Sabrina…"

The Leader stiffened slightly during her crying, and Ash turned to see a woman approaching from a passage near the throne. She had brown hair down to her shoulders and purple eyes with a yellow and pink dress and an orange shrug.

"Mom…" Sabrina muttered without turning around.

The woman kneeled down and pulled her daughter into an embrace, "Sweetie, I _never_ stayed because you forced me to. I stayed because I _always_ believed that my daughter was still there. Even as a doll, I never lost faith in you."

Ash smiled at the reunion between the two as Sabrina gingerly hugged her mother back. He would be feeling the pain his body went through tomorrow, but the Trainer definitely felt like he'd done the right thing.

Glancing at the arena, he was unable to help the slight laugh that sprung up when he saw Pikachu being held by Kadabra in a hug. The Electric-type looked extremely uncomfortable, but also seemed reluctant to zap in retaliation.

Ash received a tap on his shoulder and looked to see the telepath, the blood on his face dry now as he communicated, _'Thank you for returning here and helping the great Sabrina. We cannot thank you enough.'_

Then he looked back at Sabrina and her mother and added, _'You know, seeing what you've done for her, I don't think that she would argue giving the badge for your service to the Gym.'_

The Pallet Trainer remembered something similar with Brock before. All the same…

"Sorry, but I can't accept that," he replied. "I forfeit, but I'll be back for a rematch. What I want is a battle with the real Sabrina. I'll come back later, after she's had a chance to recover."

 _'Very well… You know, if there are people like you who can accept us in the world, perhaps there is hope for psychics to be accepted as a whole.'_

Ash nodded, but something seemed to occur to him, "I don't think I ever got your name,"

The brunet chuckled with a small smile, _'Jeryl is my name, child.'_

"Ash," the boy greeted with his hand extended. "Nice to meet you."

Jeryl looked at the offered pleasantry, seeming somewhat hesitant before he grabbed it and shook.

With that done, Ash reached into his backpack to take out a notepad and black marker since he didn't have anything else to write with. Scribbling something on it, he tore the sheet off and gingerly walked over to Sabrina.

Clearing his throat lightly, he started once he had their attention, "Sabrina, I have to go now, but I'm keeping my promise to you. This number is to my Pokégear, and I wear it all the time." He held up the wrist holding the device and added, "If you want me to visit, or just want a talk, I'm one call away."

She took the paper and stared at it for a moment before hesitantly nodding, causing her mother to smile.

Ash smiled back and nodded, "I'll see you later, then. Someday, we'll finish today's battle on friendlier terms."

* * *

Sabrina's father retracted his senses, having seen enough. His daughter would recover now, with the help of her mother and those around her.

But as much as he wanted to, he couldn't go in himself to reunite with his family.

Not only from the shame that his daughter saw his flight as abandoning her, but what the young boy had said about what people did with their abilities mattering most.

Hoping that he could one day return, Sabrina's father teleported away to the Saffron City police station. He'd had more than one encounter with them before at the calls of scared Trainers that he'd rescued.

'I'll face my punishment with dignity and hope that the League is willing to bargain.'

* * *

Ash emerged from Saffron Gym with Pikachu on his shoulder along with Sabrina and her mother behind him to say their goodbyes. The psychic students had already said their thanks and farewells, the jubilation nearly scaring Sabrina away since she was uncomfortable with crowds in her newly reawakened state.

The Gym Leader also seemed hesitant to go outside, but some encouraging from her mother got her as far as the archways.

"Ash!"

The Pallet Trainer turned around to see Misty and Brock hurriedly walking over. Sabrina flinched slightly, remembering that she'd nearly imprisoned the two of them as well and stepped to the side behind her mother.

"Everything went well?" the breeder asked.

Ash casually shrugged, masking the pain the action caused his shoulders, "More or less."

"This young man helped to save my daughter," the brunette said, trying to coax Sabrina out of her hiding place.

Misty wisely held her tongue about the subject of saving Sabrina since she still felt that Ash had unnecessarily put his life at risk for a hostile stranger. She could see that the Saffron Leader was better, if timid, but there was no way Ash could've known for sure that everything would work out.

"Anyway, I forfeited once Sabrina was better," the Pallet Trainer explained. "I want to battle her again when she's at a hundred percent."

"It's a promise," the Gym Leader mumbled from beside her mother.

Brock nodded, "I'm glad everything worked out. We should go resupply at the market before leaving; I believe the next closest Gym is Celadon City." He turned to Sabrina with another nod, "I wish you the best, Sabrina."

At a slight prod at her side from his elbow, Misty added, "Me too. No hard feelings, I guess."

Ash waved the hand with his Pokégear on it as he looked back while walking off towards his companions, "You know how to reach me."

Sabrina nodded back with a wave, holding the paper with Ash's number in her other hand.

* * *

"You know that things could've gone horribly wrong, right?"

"But they didn't."

Misty growled slightly in frustration at Ash's bull-headed stubbornness about Sabrina and said, "We can _see_ you moving like you're sore, Ash."

"Couldn't be helped," he shrugged, again despite the pain. "I wasn't a ghost this time; there was a body that she could lash out at. What matters is that everyone's safe now, and Sabrina can get better from here on out."

Although he _did_ make a note to not video call his mom until he was fully healed. If Misty had noticed, Delia would _definitely_ see it and demand answers.

"Misty, Ash is right that everything worked out, so let's put it behind us," Brock cut in. "Ash, while it was clear that you had some sort of plan for your approach, next time try to make sure that it's a definite chance of working instead of a maybe—for the sake of those that care about you."

"I can't make any promises, but if I can make sure, I will," the Pallet Trainer answered while turning to walk backwards for a moment.

" _Next_ time?!" Misty repeated in disbelief.

Ash shook his head while still moving in reverse, "If you're having a hard time, you don't have to stay. I left your bike at the Viridian City Pokémon Center. It should be fixed by now."

"I'm staying," the redhead bit out, "if only because you'll probably get yourself killed without me to keep you from leaping headfirst into danger. Brock would probably just go with you and be in _just_ as much danger."

"Glad that's settled, then," the Pallet Trainer replied while turning forward again. "Ah, that looks like a shopping center."

* * *

As the trio resupplied, Ash realized that his backpack didn't allow a lot of room. Considering an upgrade, he looked around but couldn't find a store that supplied backpacks or anything similar. Brock informed him that Celadon City had a department store where a Trainer could find just about anything they needed.

As a result, the Pallet Trainer only restocked his personal supply of medicine. But when he was putting it away, he found the Shell Bell that he'd bought all the way back at Acapulco. He'd been so focused on training as much as possible while staying in one place that he'd forgotten.

Putting it in his pocket to decide what to do with it later, he rummaged around a bit more and found some more items that he'd forgotten or hadn't known about.

The guide that Samurai gave him went back in the bag since he'd figured out most of what he needed to know for battle, but he placed it in the outermost pouch so he didn't lose it in the clutter again. A refresher never hurt.

One item that caught him by surprise was a miniature megaphone. **(2)**

'How and _why_ did mom pack this for me?' Thinking over its potential uses, Ash came to the conclusion that it _could_ help him command Pokémon from afar.

Shrugging, he put it back in the backpack along with all of his medicines.

When everybody was done shopping, they set out for Celadon City.

* * *

The sun started setting soon after they ventured outward, Ash having made the call to Delia on his Pokégear, telling her about his adventures in Lavender Town and Saffron Gym. He glossed over the grimmer parts for her benefit, such as the fact that he could've died both times.

His mom said that he was proud of his good deeds, but was happier that he'd come out of both situations safe.

After a while, Ash pondered what to do about visiting Sabrina. While he'd meant what he said about visiting if she wanted, Pidgeot could only fly so fast, and there would be the issue of having Brock and Misty wait or tracking them if he let them move on.

Rolling the thought around in his head, he got an idea and called out Pidgeot. Brock and Misty were surprised at the sudden move, and more so when he climbed aboard.

"I'm going to look around for a Pokémon to catch—a Psychic-type," Ash explained.

Brock nodded, "When can we expect you back?"

"I'm coming back tomorrow morning with or without one. If you want, it'll make it easier for me to find you all if you have Onix out."

"Sure," the breeder agreed. "I can get my training done in the morning, then."

"Thanks. See you tomorrow," he said in farewell as Pidgeot took off.

Once he was gone, Misty pinched the bridge of her nose, "Why do you let him go off on his own and do reckless things? I honestly can't figure it out."

"I have to trust that he'll be all right," Brock answered. "I believe in him and it matters that he knows I do. Now, let's keep going. We still have a bit more light."

* * *

Pidgeot found a plain of tall grass to the north of Saffron City and Ash dismounted from his Pokémon with Pikachu on his shoulder to prevent him getting lost.

The Bird Pokémon sliced away the waist-high grass to make a clearing for their camp while Ash took out his Pokédex. It was a bit of a loose theory, but he was hoping that such a concentration of psychics in Saffron City would draw Psychic Pokémon to live nearby. And tall grass was usually where one could find the most general assortment of Pokémon, so it was a better chance than the forest.

'With less chance of getting lost,' he internally added.

He pressed the button to switch his Pokémon and looked at the complete team displayed.

'Let's see, Pikachu, Butterfree and Pidgeot are a must,' he thought. 'I'm still getting a feel for Bellsprout's fighting style and what to teach him, so he's staying too. Charmeleon or Jigglypuff…'

Sticking his hand into his pocket as he thought, he felt the Shell Bell and took it out. While he was thinking it over, he might as well figure out what to do with it.

Giving it a test shake, he heard a slightly melodious chime. Because of it, Ash immediately wrote off Pikachu and Pidgeot as candidates. Being speed fighters, they did a lot of evading and speed blitzes from multiple angles, and an item that announced their presence to any Pokémon with trained hearing would only hurt them.

He couldn't imagine Charmeleon or Jigglypuff being willing to wear the item, their battler pride probably frowning on the use of items for an advantage.

Butterfree… Well, Ash couldn't imagine him parting with the scarf he wore anytime soon, if ever.

Deciding to send it back with whoever he switched out, Ash went back to his decision on who to pick.

Getting an idea, he picked Jigglypuff's Poké Ball.

Calling her out, he asked, "You were training with one of the other Pokémon earlier to learn water attacks, right?" When she nodded, he said, "Do you want to go back to learn more moves? It might be faster for you to learn them from the other Pokémon themselves."

Jigglypuff thought it over and nodded again.

Squatting down, Ash held up the Shell Bell to show it as he asked, "Could you take this back with you to Professor Oak's? It's an item on a stretchy band called a Shell Bell. I've been told that it restores a bit of energy for every hit the wearer lands. See if anybody wants to use it, please. Feel free to keep it if nobody wants it, or not; it's up to you."

"[Sure,]" the Balloon Pokémon responded with an easy shrug. She let her Trainer fasten the band to her wrist before being returned, item included.

Ash made the switch, sending Jigglypuff back while receiving no Pokémon in return. He took the empty Poké Ball he kept on his belt in place of Pikachu's and his binoculars from his backpack, "All right, let's see what there is to see around here, Pikachu."

"Pi-kachu!"

* * *

Sabrina's father sat in a cell waiting for transfer to the Indigo Plateau where the Elite Four would convene on what to do with him. Sitting cross-legged, he decided to meditate to pass the time.

It had been a rather simple affair to turn himself in. He'd merely shared his own memories of his encounters with the police with Officer Jenny. She'd slapped a pair of handcuffs over his proffered wrists in record time.

They both knew that he could escape at any time that he wanted to, but the police officers were ever vigilant regardless, keeping a close eye on his cell.

There was a small chance that some good could come of him turning himself in, so like the Trainer he'd met, he'd face it with strength of heart and calm of mind.

* * *

After searching until it was almost dark, Ash had no luck finding a Psychic Pokémon, just a bunch of other Pokémon. He'd even encountered a wild Meowth. While he found the prospect of catching one to be appealing for the sake of irony and the looks it would surely generate on Team Rocket's faces, he didn't really need one.

As far as he knew from what he'd seen of Team Rocket's Meowth, the Scratch Cat Pokémon was a close-quarters speed fighter, using hit-and-run tactics to get the drop on opponents while not being able to take much punishment themselves. He already had speed fighters in Pikachu, Rattata and Pidgeot, along with Squirtle and Charmeleon being able to fight up close while still maintaining good agility to dodge. On top of that, all four of them had their natural abilities to aid them. Jigglypuff and Bellsprout weren't slouches in close combat either, able to use their unique bodies to dodge in different ways. There was nothing a Meowth could contribute that Ash didn't already have.

Plus, he didn't feel comfortable using the same Pokémon as Team Rocket without a good reason.

Still, there was no luck in finding the Pokémon he was looking for. While eating some snacks and hand feeding his team some spare Pokémon food that he kept in his backpack, he wondered if the Psychic-types were sensing him and teleporting out of his reach each time.

'Either way, I said that I'd be back tomorrow morning, so I guess that's it for now,' he decided while setting up his sleeping bag. 'Maybe I'll meet a Psychic Pokémon later on in my journey.'

The subject brought up his memory of Butterfree, and he looked down at his belt. In the back of his mind, he could still feel the depression emanating from the ball if he concentrated. Looking at the open cup of kibble in his hand, he set it on the ground nearby and left the Butterfly Pokémon's ball near it.

"You don't have to talk to anybody," he said aloud. "But I can't remember the last time you came out to eat, and that worries me. I don't know if being in a Poké Ball reduces hunger or what, but… please eat if you're hungry."

With that done, he returned the Pokémon aside from Pikachu and Pidgeot, and allowed the former into his sleeping bag while the Bird Pokémon stood up to keep watch while dozing.

Though Pidgeot pretended to sleep through the sound of a Poké Ball opening after everyone else was slumbering.

* * *

"[Haunter? Haunter!]" Gengar called, looking around the Pokémon Tower.

Gastly floated through the ceiling, "[He's not in the playroom. Do you think he might be looking for us in Saffron?]"

"[Ugh! I don't know,]" the shadowy Pokémon muttered in frustration, scratching the short spines between his ears. "[I should've taken him with me instead of leaving him behind.]"

A finger tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned around only to see a paper fan hit him on the crown of the head. He popped his eyes out for effect with an exaggerated tongue waggle and then laughed along with Haunter as he held Gengar's own comedy item. Gastly joined in as well, simply glad to be back with his friends.

The lesser ghost licked his own face and juggled his eyeballs on the end of his tongue with a warbling laugh, both the others laughing at him before making their own faces. Haunter flipped his upside down, closing his mouth and moving it like a unibrow while Gengar stretched his cheeks far apart to where his eyes and mouth were stretched into shut lines.

The trio laughed at each other's results, faces snapping back to normal.

"[Ha- _ha_! I was in the small tower on the side,]" Haunter explained with a cheeky grin. "[I knew you'd come back here eventually. It may be just a building, but it's _our_ building!]"

"[No matter where it is, it'll always be our building so long as I have you two knuckleheads,]" Gengar said with a grin. "[On that note, what do you all say to a little trip?]"

Catching their interest, he continued, "[I have to tell you, I got a little lost in Saffron City. It was so big and bright compared to Lavender Town. I'd never seen anything like it. And while I was doing my best to hunt down **_them_** …]" The ghost's face temporarily snapped to a glare at nothing before going back to his grin, "[I also realized that I'd never seen anything beyond this little town.]"

He held his hand out, "[But I could never leave without you two. The kid was right, without you by my side, _nowhere's_ home to me.]"

"[Aww…]" Haunter whimpered, holding a materialized tissue to his eye, "[You're gonna make me cry!]" He then blew his nose with a comical honk before tossing the tissue to disappear.

Gastly grinned, "[Sounds like it'd be a scream! Lots of things to see, people to prank.]"

"[Exactly!]" Gengar nodded. "[Let's go, then.]"

* * *

While Ash was breathing deeply with Pikachu in his sleeping bag, Pidgeot slept with his head tucked under his wing, but while still listening for any attack from nearby.

In the tall grass nearby, though, a figure watched them. He could sense that they were looking for him, or at least one like him, but he wanted to wait until he could examine them freely in their sleep.

He reached out with his senses to gently probe their minds while sniffing the air for their dreams. From Pidgeot's mind, he detected a strong sense of loyalty and fierce protective instincts along with a fondness for his Trainer and teammates, like the chief of a flock. No dreams, though. The bird was only in a light sleep to watch out for intruders.

The Pikachu was even closer to his Trainer, bordering on codependence. Deducing that this one must be his first Pokémon, he took a whiff of the dreams and found a rather touching display of friendship in the memories that echoed through. They said that the boy kept him safe, and he'd do the same.

Turning his attention to the Trainer, he nearly gagged at the pungent smell of fear laced through his dreams, only keeping quiet at the prospect of waking Pidgeot. Deciding that it merited a closer, more direct look, the Psychic-type reluctantly left his hiding place.

In the moonlight, his form was revealed. He was a bipedal Pokémon with two three-fingered hands at the end of somewhat chubby arms. A wavy border separated the two colors of his body at his round belly, brown below with yellow on the upper half, the only exception being his two toes on each foot, which were colored yellow. His head rested on a short neck, appearing to be nearly attached to his shoulders with two triangular ears pointed outward at the sides. A short trunk extended above his lips and his eyes were half-closed as if sleepy.

Keeping a close watch on Pidgeot, the sleepy-looking Pokémon tiptoed closer with surprising stealth and grace for his rotund appearance.

Once he reached the boy's side, he put his hands right above his temples and closed his eyes while taking quiet, deep breaths of the aroma emanating from his subconscious.

After a brief examination of the recent events, he found all that he needed to know.

This Trainer loved all of his Pokémon for sure. He treated them like his closest friends, a family, if one were to use the word generously. But that love came with a petrifying fear of losing them. Not of being separated; if they wanted to leave, they could, even if it would make him sad. He had a specific fear of losing them, being unable to protect them.

'A pity this one takes on so much responsibility at such a young age,' he mused, doing a service by lightening the dreams and manipulating happier memories to the forefront. A smile crossed his face as he saw that the child still had the love of those around him, Pokémon and humans alike. 'But maybe he could accept me despite my handicap.'

"[Is there something I can help you with?]"

The psychic stiffened and ceased his observations when he heard the voice. He looked to see Pidgeot wide awake and tensed up to chase him down.

"[You have five seconds to explain why you're standing over my Trainer,]" the bird warned.

Waving his hands, he whispered his explanation, "[W-wait! I mean no harm, really! I was actually thinking of joining your team. I just wanted to see if this one was a good Trainer first. Surely you know that there can be bad humans, right? I was just being cautious.]"

Pidgeot gave it some thought and replied, "[Understandable. Very well, if you're still interested in the morning, come back then. For now, I'd appreciate if you left. I don't quite trust you so close to him, and I'd prefer not to wake him. He's been through quite a lot recently he needs to rest and heal.]"

"[I understand. I sort of… changed his dreams to give him a better rest after seeing the ordeals he's been through.]"

The bird's eyes narrowed slightly, but he sighed and replied, "[Thank you, I suppose.]"

"[I'll… be back in the morning,]" the Psychic-type replied, awkwardly shuffling away.

* * *

Ash woke up with the sunrise and stretched his arms as he sat up in his sleeping bag, Pikachu a little slower to wake up in his lap. He smiled when he saw the cup of Pokémon food emptier than it had been before, knowing that it had to have been Butterfree, otherwise Pidgeot would've driven the intruder away. The Bird Pokémon was awake as well, seeming ready to leave at any time.

Pikachu yawned and started moving about as well while Ash packed his bag, the last item being his sleeping bag.

But when he stood up with his full backpack on his shoulder, he heard rustling grass. Turning to the source, he saw bits of yellow peeking through the blades.

"Hello?" he gently called. "It's okay, you can come out. I'm not gonna hurt you."

Pidgeot recognized the Pokémon from last night, and Ash took out his Pokédex to identify him.

 ** _"Drowzee, the Hypnosis Pokémon. Said to be a descendant of the dream-eating tapir, it is skilled at hypnotism."_**

 _'That's actually an exaggeration; we don't usually eat dreams, we just enjoy the smell of the good ones. Dream Eater's quite a powerful move that we can learn, though.'_

"Ah, telepathy too," Ash realized. "Well, Drowzee, it looks like you came looking for us in particular. Do you want to join our team?"

 _'I've had some time to think, and yes, I'd like that.'_ He seemed a bit uncertain, _'There's one thing you should know, though. I can't do any major telekinesis outside of resisting it. I've tried, and it's just never been able to move anything bigger than a small rock, and not very fast.'_

The Pallet Trainer tilted his head curiously, "Can you teleport?"

Drowzee blinked as one of his more major issues was simply glossed over. _'Er, yes? Why?'_

"'Why'? That's a whole different fighting style, even if you can't use telekinesis," Ash pointed out. "Teleporting alone makes you a pretty tough opponent. Aside from a few wide-sweeping moves, you can't beat what you can't hit."

The Hypnosis Pokémon stared at the Trainer, who shrugged, "Sorry, it just seemed pretty obvious to me. My lifestyle needs me to think outside the box, a lot."

 _'Oh, that's fine,'_ he muttered telepathically. _'I guess it just never occurred to me. Will you train me?'_

Ash smiled, "I'd love to. Welcome to the team, Drowzee."

* * *

 **Notes:**

 **1\. Miracle Eye allows the user to track an evasive foe, as well as remove immunity to Psychic-type moves, including the less offensive mental arts such as memory erasing.**

 **2\. We see this in a few gags, mainly in _Haunter vs. Kadabra_ and _Wake Up Snorlax!_ , but it's never explained where he got it from. Until today.**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	29. Chapter 29: A Trap in a Trap

**Review responses:**

 ** _Fox McCloude_** **: 1a. I'm glad that you enjoyed. Ash has come a long way since starting out, hasn't he?**

 **1b. Well, I needed something that could've conceivably been happening in the background. Can you honestly say that you wouldn't expect at least some of the people Sabrina's father rescued to call the police out of fear?**

 **3\. If you want.**

 ** _Snoozing Lurker_** **: I don't necessarily know who that character is, but he'll develop how he develops.**

 **Even if predictable, I hope that the chapter was enjoyable regardless.**

 ** _BbK2442_** **: In order:**

 **1\. Technically, he never harmed them physically. But as we discussed, it could qualify as (at least) obstruction of justice and obstructing government administration. You also pointed out the debatable equivalent of aggravated assault for erasing the memories of police officers.**

 **2\. Mainly harmless pranks at best. They're mostly leaving the Pokémon Tower to see the world. At least, Gengar grew interested after venturing past Lavender Town, and Haunter and Gastly went along because it sounded like it could be fun.**

 **3\. Remember that Drowzee's telekinesis is exceptionally weak. Still, if that's his only weakness, he's still a tough opponent. As Ash said, having Teleport alone makes you top dog in battle against most opponents. And Ash is a firm believer of hard work, and thus would probably have Drowzee try to train in order to improve his telekinesis.**

 ** _BrightNova169_** **: Answers to your questions:**

 **1\. Yes, I was hoping it would be implied well enough.**

 **2\. From what I can tell, there were no negative effects in canon. The transformation perfectly preserves them. At the end of _Haunter vs. Kadabra_ she was there beside the rest of the family waving goodbye.**

 **3\. It was heavily implied since Sabrina was still there. The way that he says "Everything that I did was to protect my daughter" all but confirms it to the Trainer trio. As for his sentence, he _did_ muse before leaving that he hoped the League was willing to bargain.**

 **4\. Well, yeah, there is the move Nightmare. It's the same basic principle for the good and bad dreams, just manipulating the subconscious in different ways. (Teachable to Drowzee via TM in Gen II)**

 **5\. I'd say several months to be comfortable with people to a moderate degree. A full year for anything resembling "normal."**

 **6\. Ash is giving Butterfree as much care as he can. Even if he asked Professor Oak for help, he'd likely be told that time is the only medicine for Butterfree's heart.**

 ** _lee2doie_** **: Normally, you would be correct in your belief. However, in anime land, TM and Egg moves are trial-and-error as far as learning goes. Drowzee could've learned Teleport in the wild to avoid other Trainers/Pokémon, or to have a sense of accomplishment in his psychic powers since he found his telekinesis to be lacking.**

 **As an example of an Egg move being learned by a Pokémon in the anime, just look at Ash's Pikachu learning Volt Tackle in Sinnoh.**

 ** _Guest_** **(Sep. 2nd [1st]): We'll see.**

 ** _Guest_** **(Sep. 2nd [2nd]): He hates Team Rocket as a whole, pretty much, since they're all Pokémon thieves.**

 ** _The Sinful_** **: I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter. :)**

 ** _Bored321_** **(Chapter 27): In order:**

 **2a. It wasn't so much astral projection. It was in a way, but pulling the soul directly out isn't the same. Astral projection would be an advanced mental art, and is usually only practiced if the psychic in question has mastered the internal regulation of their body to be able to preserve it on psychic energy alone without the soul, so that there's no danger of it expiring while they're out. What Haunter did was both extremely dangerous and a bastardized version of true astral projection.**

 **2b. Ash is not, and will not be psychic. If you recall from canon, he has latent aura potential. That's why his link with Butterfree is primarily emotional. I left a note about him being able to understand Pokémon in his spirit form. Reading the minds and predicting the movements of others is among a fully realized aura user's powers, along with healing via transfer of aura (though that can be fatal if too much is used).**

 **5-6. Well Sabrina wasn't exactly in her right mind. Being split into two personas, it's likely her child self doesn't realize that what she's doing is wrong. She would literally see her dolls as "friends."**

 **7\. *shrug* I suppose that they would. That might be why they're open to nicknames that give them individuality.**

 **8\. Charmeleon has had more visible development since he came onto the team with definitive problems.**

 ** _Bored321_** **(Chapter 25): In order:**

 **1-2. We've already discussed this point in the review for Chapter 24. To Butterfree, it was love.**

 **3\. The fact that Ash doesn't believe that they're really friends is the difference. She would only be trying to comfort him _because_ she felt sorry for him, as Brock said. In other words, to ease her own conscience. Ash probably wouldn't like that since it would feel patronizing, as if she were handling him with kid gloves.**

 **Also, with the way that Misty's mouth can sometimes run off, she probably would've botched it by making an unintentionally insensitive remark or telling him to "get over it," which is what her comfort after his loss at the League in canon amounted to.**

 **4\. A friendly rivalry focuses on the two people pushing each other to do better, rather than any real feelings of animosity. It's the competition that drives them, and they just happen to get along outside of that competition.**

 ** _Bored321_** **(Chapter 26): In order:**

 **2\. It isn't like that to him. The team is growing large, and he only has so much time that he can spend with each Pokémon. He prefers to get a little personal time with new ones so that he can get to know them. That way, when he switches them out later to train or spend time with others, he feels like he's befriended them.**

 **3\. He was freaking out at the time. And while he knows that, he felt that Jessie wasn't willing to risk her life to save Meowth. Which is true; she'd rather have a definite plan to get Meowth back than a haphazardly constructed one in a fit of hysteria.**

 **4\. A-yup. The only saving grace is that Kadabra is a glass cannon, but with Teleport, landing a hit on him is just as hard.**

 ** _Bored321_** **(Chapter 27 [Guest]): Yeah, I've had some spare time recently, so I've gotten on a roll with writing.**

 ** _Bored321_** **(Chapter 28): In order:**

 **1\. While very little like a government, the Elite Four and Champion are usually the highest authority with the League they run regulating all of the Trainers, which is the main occupation of the populace. Perhaps a different department runs the economy and other minutiae of governing a region.**

 **2\. Overconfidence. She was sure that Sabrina wouldn't have anything that she hadn't seen before and that Gengar could take care of her. Yet her father had a new technique that tracked Gengar and erased both her and Agatha's memories.**

 **6\. In Sabrina's mind, Ash was the more dangerous one since he was breaking down her walls. She knew that she could easily break Jeryl's own telekinesis which would severely damage his psyche (if not simply giving him an aneurysm from the strain). Pikachu "missing,"though, cut her off before she could break his resistance.**

 **7\. Because it would give her an excuse to stop the match and either trap Ash, kill him or evict him from the Gym.**

 **8\. Well, in this case, she's more deriding him for being stupid than outright stating that she cares. Brock was the one who brought up the people who care about Ash.**

 **9\. *shrug* Others enjoyed it, and I suppose that you can't please everybody. Team Rocket was extremely unlucky in both the fact that Sabrina wanted Ash and co. to herself when they attacked and that the nearest ghost they encountered happened to be the friend of one powerful Pokémon.**

 ** _Engineer1869_** **: To answer your questions:**

 **1\. He hoped to atone for his deeds by striking a deal with the League. If they want his head on a plate, he'd probably just teleport away and go into vigilante justice instead.**

 **2\. Hm, good question. The officers didn't know _what_ he stopped them from doing, since he didn't restore their memories, but they know that he stopped them and erased them, which, as BbK2442 pointed out, could count as aggravated assault along with obstruction of justice.**

 **3\. They were too scared of him and relieved that they were alive. Heck, Meowth was practically paralyzed that he was going through something similar to what happened with Sabrina.**

 ** _TheShadowOfZama_** **: Sabrina's dad used an equivalent of Miracle Eye to spot Gengar, and erased her memories from there. Ghost-types' trump to psychic moves in the anime comes from being hard to find. Other than that, they have no special resistance to the moves. That's why Gastly was invisible for a majority of his fight with Sabrina's Kadabra.**

 **Also, with that second point, it's a good lesson in overconfidence. No matter how much power you wield, it doesn't do much good against an opponent that can both knock you out and make you forget why you're there. Agatha believed that her Gengar would come in if there was any attack on her person, but the ghost was knocked out first.**

 **Now, on with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 29: A Trap in a Trap

Brock supervised his Pokémon's training nearby as he made pickled plum rice balls for breakfast. Staryu and Starmie were on the other side of the path, Misty trying to teach them each a new move. The breeder had already given his Pokémon instructions on what moves to practice so that he could prepare their meal as he watched.

Geodude was practicing how long he could keep up his Harden while fighting against Onix, the sheen on every exposed surface besides his elbows, shoulders and finger joints to signify the raised defense. Brock called the ensemble Plate Mail, after the medieval armor.

Onix was mainly playing on the defensive, attempting to activate Bide for the first time. Since he wasn't taking that much damage without Geodude augmenting his punches with strength, the Rock Pokémon wasn't in any danger of grievous injury with his Harden up.

Zubat was listening closely to Misty battling, resting on a rock and attempting to figure out Mimic. Since the Bat Pokémon wasn't a heavy hitter and relied more on surprise, Brock had elected for him to learn the copying move to use an attack from one of his teammates, or even an opponent, to catch others off guard. But it was hard to mimic what you couldn't see.

When he heard a zap of electricity, he concentrated on that since he was intimately familiar with the feel of getting shocked.

Feeling a tingle through his body, he started fluttering up, 'A-ha! It's the feeling, not the image.'

Brock watched as Zubat's inner ears glowing white before electricity radiated from his body and zapped the ground, signifying the use of Thunderbolt.

"Good job, Zubat!" he congratulated. "Now, according to what I've read, you should be able to keep that move for about five minutes before you need to copy again. **(1)** Keep practicing, and then try copying a different move to see if you have it down."

With that done, he turned back to his pot and large bamboo steamer, making more rice balls for the plate beside the fire. Letting muscle memory take over assembling more of the snacks, he turned his thoughts to his fellow Gym Leader behind him.

So far things were progressing smoothly, bar a few bumps in the road so to speak. Ash had bounced back quicker than expected with the help of his Pokémon, Brock himself and likely his mother. And convincing Misty to keep her distance during his recovery had been a wise move as far as the breeder was concerned.

The redhead had good intentions at the time – he was willing to admit that – but he couldn't trust her to tread carefully with how her mouth could run off without her thinking things through at times. Looking at how she regarded Ash's masking the pain in front of his Pokémon as "freaking her out," along with implying that he didn't care in front of Pikachu, Brock felt that he was quite justified in his worry of her making it worse.

Brock didn't actually know how Ash would react to concern from Misty, but decided that it had more chance of going wrong than well. So, citing a possible reaction that the redhead would understand, along with questioning whether her newfound kindness was truly genuine, he'd allayed what could've been a disaster.

He'd only had the vaguest hope that Misty would take his advice to become a "friendly rival," since her track record with her pride and befriending Ash spoke for itself. But he'd given it a shot since she had already appeared about to go into self-reflection for the night from their earlier discussion.

The two were getting along better, all things considered. Brock might've even dared to say that Misty cared about Ash and him. Although if asked, she'd probably just say that she didn't want to be stuck with telling Delia that her son was dead. His friend seemed to be open to the change in her attitude as well, even if it didn't seem like much. She didn't actively pick fights, and Ash seemed content to just let most issues go, probably because they didn't seem as important anymore.

Oh, they still had their disagreements. But most of them were smoothed out relatively quickly aside from the topic of Sabrina. Brock had his own reservations about Ash putting his life on the line, but decided to keep them to himself since it was in the past now.

'Sheesh, I never had to be so sneaky in having my younger siblings get along,' the Pewter Leader mused. 'But the direct approach didn't work before, and it looks like things could work out better this way.'

"Heeeeey!"

The two Leaders looked up from their tasks and saw Ash flying in on Pidgeot's back with one hand holding his hat and the other loosely holding onto the side of his Pokémon's neck.

"Welcome back, Ash," Brock greeted as Pidgeot touched down a short distance away. "You're right in time for breakfast. Did you find a Psychic Pokémon?"

"Yup," the Pallet Trainer answered while getting off, Pikachu hopping down to the ground as well. "What's cooking?"

"Rice balls. It's my own special recipe, no artificial ingredients with a sweet flavor and tangy center," the breeder explained, turning back to preparing them. Once the plate was full with two layers, he took the remaining rice and dumped several pickled plums in the center before molding it all into a rice ball the size of a volleyball.

"Onix, here's your breakfast," he called, holding it up.

The Rock Snake Pokémon stooped down and accepted the large treat, tilting up again to roll it into his mouth. Much like regular snakes, his digestion took a long time. Unlike other snakes, his stone makeup meant that his body didn't need as much nutrition to fuel his largely inorganic self and could process just about anything, even rocks for scant minerals. So a food as full of nutrients as one of his Trainer's meals, whether for humans or Pokémon, could last him for weeks at a time. **(2)**

Once his largest Pokémon was taken care of, he held out the plate with a smile, "Alright, everybody, come and get it!"

He handed out rice balls to his companions and Pokémon, holding Zubat's so that he could eat. When he saw Ash tear off a few bites of his for Pikachu and Pidgeot, Brock added, "Feel free to call out your Pokémon, too, Ash. There's plenty for everyone." To punctuate the point, he handed Pikachu a rice ball for himself.

"Oh, thanks!" the Pallet Trainer replied with a smile. He released the Pokémon on his team save for Butterfree since he could feel that he wasn't interested.

Charmeleon gleefully savored the two rice balls he'd gotten for himself while Pidgeot balanced one on the tip of his wing so that he could eat unassisted. Drowzee waved at Misty and Brock as his introduction and nodded his thanks while accepting one of the treats.

Bellsprout seemed unsure of what to do with his, looking around at everybody taking bites of theirs as he regarded the food item larger than his head held in his leaves. Ash noticed the problem and dusted his hands clean before kneeling down beside the Flower Pokémon.

"Here," he offered, splitting the food into three pieces, each with a bit of pickled plum inside, and offering the first chunk to Bellsprout.

Looking at the food, then at Ash without a word, he silently inclined his head in thanks and took the piece into his mouth. He could feel the nutrients packed in the natural ingredients, so to his plant-like body it felt energizing. Dissolving it almost immediately, he sprouted his vines to grab the other two pieces from the Pallet Trainer's offered hand.

Ash chuckled, "I'm glad you like it, Bellsprout."

Brock smiled as he watched the interaction, taking a bite of his own rice ball since Zubat had been satisfied with one. While the trials had changed his friend in a lot of ways, his kindness to Pokémon was always a constant.

Looking around at the gathered group, he noticed another Pokémon, a Mankey peeking from some bushes near a rock. At first he wondered if this one was James' Mankey, but dismissed it since Zubat would likely hear if they were this close.

He beckoned the wild Pokémon closer, "Hey. Come on, don't be shy. There's more than enough food."

His speaking got Ash and Misty's attention, causing them to notice the Mankey jumping out of his hiding place, eyes squinted as the Pokémon tilted his head inquisitively.

Pidgeot and Charmeleon tensed up, but Ash held his hand out while still crouched low near Bellsprout, "Wait. I think this one's a different Mankey…"

"A keen observation, Ash," Brock praised, happy that the Pallet Trainer hadn't jumped to conclusions. He held out a rice ball to Mankey, who sniffed at it, "This one seems to just be a curious wild Pokémon."

Gingerly taking the rice ball, Mankey hopped along and to the top of a boulder to take a seat, taking a taste of the treat before chittering happily.

Meanwhile, Ash thought about the prospect of having a Mankey on his team. While he had the same issue of using the same Pokémon as Team Rocket, he couldn't deny that the Pig Monkey Pokémon was a good one. Agile maneuvering, powerful punches, and, most importantly, fighting talent. If he caught the Mankey, then not only would he have a good ally, but his other Pokémon would be able to get help with their hand-to-hand fighting.

Decision made, he stood up, dusting off his legs before taking an empty Poké Ball out of his backpack since he hadn't replaced the empty one on his belt yet. Looking over his Pokémon, his decision was made for him when Pidgeot held up his wing.

After raising an inquiring eyebrow at him, the Bird Pokémon nodded to confirm. He knew that Ash would want to bond with a new Pokémon the same as he did with everyone. It was also clear that he was still befriending Bellsprout and Drowzee. Pidgeot was also fine with spending some time back at Professor Oak's since it had been a while since he had a chance to socialize with the rest of Ash's team.

Recalling Pidgeot, Ash sent him back to Professor Oak's before clearing his throat right as Mankey finished his rice ball.

"Mankey, I've heard that you're a really good Fighting Pokémon to have on a team," he started. "I could use a strong Pokémon to help me, along with giving some tutoring in hand-to-hand fighting. Will you join my team?"

Mankey seemed to give the question some thought. To be honest, he'd never really been interested in joining with a human. He got strong enough in the wild, could find his own food, and kind of preferred going it alone. It made him feel powerful to survive one day to the next. Still, he'd heard that human-trained Pokémon could give a pretty good fight, and he loved good fights.

Jumping to his feet, the Fighting-type pounded his fists together while chattering excitedly.

 _'He says he'll join you if one of your Pokémon can beat him in battle,'_ Drowzee communicated.

Ash blinked in surprise. He hadn't had any problems figuring it out from Mankey's body language, but also realized that Drowzee wouldn't have any problems understanding and could translate. 'I'll have to think on that later,' he noted.

Turning to Mankey, the Trainer said, "So, you want a battle first? Fair enough."

Brock and Misty returned their Pokémon and stepped back to allow room, and Ash stood across from Mankey with most of his Pokémon on the sidelines, Drowzee in front of him. The Hypnosis Pokémon had volunteered since it would be a good chance to give physical fighting a try since telekinesis seemed out of reach.

Ash instructed Drowzee, "Stay moving, keep your guard up and use Pound when you can. Teleport if you need some distance for a breather. We'll work on including it in battle later."

The Psychic-type nodded back, trusting his advice since the Trainer had more experience with traditional battle than him. Taking up a hesitant fighting stance with his fists held up at his sides and one leg slightly back, Drowzee was less than encouraged when his opponent seemed amused by the display.

"[I can see why the human wants my help with training in fighting,]" Mankey chuckled while taking up his own fighting stance, legs tensed and arms bent up with his fists curled forward.

Drowzee frowned, "[Now that's rather uncalled for. You shouldn't underestimate a psychic. Our talents lie in the mind instead of the body.]"

"[The mind's no good if the body can't keep up!]" the Fighting-type taunted before sprinting forward with great speed, fists at the ready.

Eyes widening, Drowzee teleported away, confusing Mankey for a moment as he reappeared behind him a short distance away.

"[After a certain point, the mind can compensate,]" the Hypnosis Pokémon replied, more ready now that he had an inkling of his opponent's speed.

Mankey whipped around, wary at the supernatural ability displayed. Getting an idea, Drowzee reached towards the Pig Monkey Pokémon's mind with his telepathy, but put a little more effort into it than a cursory read. It was tricky from a distance, but he got deep enough to find the level that he wanted.

After he felt satisfied with the results, he smiled and held out his hand, goading his opponent to come at him with a single finger crooked.

Mankey snorted at the challenge and sprinted forward again. Drowzee didn't move and opened his hands for a more defensive posture.

As he swung his fists in a frenzy of attacks, his eyes widened as the Psychic-type dodged or deflected every single one.

"[With my telepathy…]" Drowzee caught Mankey's first fist, his larger size working to his advantage. "[…I can read your moves…]" Another caught punch. "[…before you make them.]"

Ash grinned, figuring that his Pokémon had figured out a new use for his powers. He then called out, "Now, Drowzee, Headbutt!"

Taking advantage of the deadlock, Drowzee did so, ramming his forehead into the top of his opponent's head.

Mankey reeled back, clutching his throbbing crown, "Mochiiiiit!"

"Now, a Pound attack!"

Stooping down, Drowzee took a punch at his opponent, knocking him slightly into the air before he tumbled back with the landing. Since he didn't move, the Hypnosis Pokémon nodded and moved past him to return to Ash.

But by his Trainer's eyes widening, and the tap of feet behind him, he guessed that he wasn't done yet. Turning around, he saw Mankey back on his feet and got ready again.

But when Mankey turned around, his eyes were flaring white as he glared at him, the squinty-eyed expression gone. His body soon followed, beginning to change and grow.

"They're evolving!" Ash exclaimed, taking out his Pokédex.

Once the change was complete, the evolved Pokémon stood as tall as Drowzee, thick metal bands over his wrists and ankles. Aside from that and a perpetual throbbing vein on the side of his forehead, the only change to Mankey seemed to be that his tail was missing.

 ** _"Primeape, the Pig Monkey Pokémon. The evolved form of Mankey. If you make eye contact with this temperamental Pokémon, it will chase relentlessly until it catches you."_**

Primeape sped forward, and Drowzee could foresee what he planned, but only had time to attempt bracing himself. He hadn't even been able to concentrate long enough to teleport.

The punch to his gut still hurt immensely and sent him flying back. He expected to hit the ground or even a boulder, but a pair of arms wrapped around him as he hit something softer that also went flying with a grunt of pain.

Ash held on tightly to Drowzee as he hit the ground to cushion his Pokémon's fall, and Primeape was still stomping the ground angrily. "[Did you see _that_ coming?!]"

Pikachu ran forward and barred the way, challenging Primeape to battle in Drowzee's stead while Charmeleon bristled slightly in tension and Bellsprout began watching the battle closer than before. A quick glance at each other prompted a shared nod as they were on the same page. Their Trainer had said one-on-one, but if the situation got out of control, they'd forgo the rules and attack together.

"Drowzee," the Trainer said, keeping the slight pain out of his voice, "are you okay?"

With a bit of struggle, Drowzee managed to roll off his Trainer while holding his pained abdomen, _'I'm fine, just my gut and my pride a bit wounded. Thanks for catching me.'_

Ash sat up and took a Potion out of his backpack, "No problem. Now, hold still."

Facing down the still furious Fighting-type, Pikachu charged forward on all fours, Primeape sprinting forward to meet him. But Pikachu blurred and became two copies of himself disappearing and reappearing in different running positions as they continued steadily forward in a line. Soon after, the two appeared to split into four.

Seeing that Pikachu was using an afterimage technique, Primeape dropped to his hands and spun to do a leg sweep on all four of the copies, searching for his opponent. But his leg phased through all of them with no impact. Eyes widening, he didn't have time to look around before feeling a light weight on the back of his head.

"CHUUUU!"

Primeape cried out in pain at the Thunderbolt that coursed through his body and shook back and forth, managing to buck Pikachu forward and off as residual electricity buzzed around his body.

Enraged in the face of the shock, Primeape charged his opponent once again, jumping before descending on him to use Thrash. The furious barrage kicked up a cloud of dust around him and Pikachu. After a short time the Electric-type simply padded out of the conflict unharmed while standing upright, turning around to watch the Fighting-type rage all by himself while brushing the dust off his body.

It only lasted for a moment, though, as Primeape stopped punching the ground and cleared the dust away with a few sweeps of his hands. Pikachu gave a cheeky wave once he was spotted.

Snorting angrily again, Primeape charged forward again and attempted a sweeping kick that Pikachu sped out of range from. The Pig Monkey Pokémon tried grabbing him next, but the Electric-type sped between his legs with a brief burst of Agility and turned around to fire a Lightning Arrow from two fingers. But Primeape had already been turning and spotted him out of the corner of his eye as he aimed. Predicting where it would shoot from the position of Pikachu's fingers, he took a step back, angling his round body to just barely dodge the concentrated blast as it fired, skirting near his face.

By unspoken agreement, the two speedsters jumped away from each other to allow a brief respite. Neither were breathing hard, but each was measuring up their opponent.

'A lot of electricity in that tiny body,' Primeape analyzed, the haze of rage momentarily parting as his fighting instincts demanded that he pay attention since it wasn't an opponent he could just beat into submission. 'And the little half-pint is actually faster than me. I think I can wear him out in a battle of endurance, though.'

Pikachu had come to a similar realization, 'I can't keep this up forever. He's slower than _me,_ but faster than my electric attacks can go. He'll expect me to jump on him again. His fighting instincts even let him dodge my Lightning Arrow. And I don't have enough weight behind my tackles to really take advantage of my higher speed.'

"Pikachu, return!"

Both Pokémon turned to Ash, who was standing with Drowzee's bruise faded. Pikachu gave one last glance to Primeape to make sure he didn't try anything before leaving. It seemed that his Trainer had realized the same thing as Pikachu. The Pig Monkey Pokémon was more interested in who his next opponent would be.

'This one at least seems to have strong Pokémon,' he noted while getting ready to fight again.

Ash looked over his two remaining Pokémon, and Bellsprout stepped forward, glancing back at Charmeleon meaningfully. The Flame Pokémon didn't look happy about it, but nodded. While he was better for matching Primeape physically, Bellsprout's tricky arsenal as a Grass/Poison-type had a better chance of subduing Primeape quickly.

The Pig Monkey Pokémon looked down at Bellsprout, who stood up to his nose. While he wanted to snort at the idea of such a thin and frail-looking Pokémon beating him, he'd already underestimated one of his opponents.

His caution was well warranted as Bellsprout pursed his lips shut and shot a blob of Acid at him. Dodging to the side, he saw it dissolve a small hole into the ground before it lost its potency and pooled as murky mud at the bottom.

The Flower Pokémon had approached him during his observation, but kept his distance as his head puffed up slightly before he shot a cloud of Stun Spore.

Primeape jumped away from the cloud of spores, trying to figure out a way around it. Getting an idea, he rooted his feet and took a deep breath before shouting with Screech. The powerful sound waves disrupted the cloud and pushed the Stun Spore back and up, opening the path to Bellsprout again.

Seeing his approach, Bellsprout pursed his lips shut while taking root.

Rushing forward, Primeape made to grab him by the face to prevent any more powders or Acid from coming out, only for a vine to lash out and fasten around one of his wrists before continuing up his arm. During his moment of surprise, another soon joined it, and the Fighting-type found himself suspended and bound from head to toe with Wrap, no room allowed to squirm his way out. He was also faced away from Bellsprout so that his Screech wouldn't have any effect.

"[You tricked me into thinking you were a distance fighter,]" he growled while struggling to look at the Flower Pokémon from his upside down hanging position.

"[Grass/Poison-type,]" Bellsprout blandly replied before blowing a puff of Stun Spore over Primeape.

Once the Pig Monkey Pokémon was paralyzed, Bellsprout placed him on the ground and released him. The Fighting-type was visibly struggling to overcome the paralysis through sheer force of will.

"Good job, Bellsprout," Ash congratulated. He plucked and expanded the empty Poké Ball from his belt, "I'll take it from here. Poké Ball, go!"

The thrown sphere flew through the air, connecting with Primeape's back before converting the Fighting-type to energy and containing him. The ball landed, seemingly shaking back and forth for a longer time than normal before finally confirming the capture.

Ash picked up the still sphere before opening it up and taking out a Paralyze Heal from his backpack. Primeape didn't look overly thrilled, but held still while Ash sprayed the medicine. Clenching his fist a few times to confirm that he had freedom of movement again, the Fighting-type jumped back to his feet, stomping towards Bellsprout.

"Hey!" Ash scolded while getting between them, "Bellsprout's a teammate no-"

A punch to the jaw knocked him aside and cut off his reprimand. Charmeleon growled at that and jumped from his position on the sidelines to land between his two teammates, facing Primeape.

The enraged Pokémon stopped his march, looking at Charmeleon as he stood between him and the target of his rage. While the Flame Pokémon was only a little taller than him, fire could be tricky to deal with. Still, it had never stopped him from issuing a challenge before.

As he grunted angrily at him, Brock, Misty, Pikachu and Drowzee checked to make sure that Ash was all right. Bellsprout casually walked by as well, confirming his Trainer's health while Charmeleon angrily growled out a retort at Primeape.

 _'Oh, this will probably wind up as another fight,'_ Drowzee telepathically groaned. This time he broadcast it to the others instead of talking privately to Ash, causing Brock and Misty to look around before their gazes settled on the Psychic Pokémon.

"Ash, did your Drowzee just talk?" Brock asked.

 _'It's telepathy,'_ he corrected. _'Anyway, Primeape demanded a straight fight against Bellsprout with no tricks. He doesn't seem to have noticed that Bellsprout is over here. Charmeleon says that Ash decides when spars are, and with whom, and is very angry that Primeape attacked him.'_

As Drowzee continued relaying, the argument went on.

Charmeleon leaned forward and prodded Primeape with a claw to the chest as he bit out, "[Listen, you, nobody likes a sore loser. Pokémon use every move they have in a battle, so suck it up and _train_ if it bothers you that much!]"

Veins throbbing anew, Primeape threw a swift haymaker at Charmeleon, only for the Fire-type to see it coming and catch it in his hand, claws extending to grip the glove-like fist as the two glared at each other, arms trembling as Primeape tried to push through his resistance.

"[Oh, you wanna _go_?]" the Flame Pokémon growled. "[Want me to hold back my fire so you don't feel bad when you lose?]"

"Both of you, stop!"

They glanced at Ash, who had Pikachu on his shoulder again, Drowzee and Bellsprout behind him.

"This is _not_ how teammates should act," he continued in a firm tone. "Primeape, if you have a problem with _me_ , then I'll let you go, but don't go trying to seriously hurt other Pokémon on this team. Charmeleon, while you're right to defend Bellsprout's strategy, you didn't have to use it to bait Primeape."

Charmeleon seemed slightly chastened, but glanced at Primeape and grunted while he let go of his hand, "[Anybody who can't take their loss like a man isn't worth fighting anyway.]"

Primeape growled again, but restrained himself and glanced at Drowzee behind Ash before looking up at the Trainer.

"[Ash, was it?]" he grunted. "[I want a… 'spar' with the Fire-type. I'm a Fighting-type; I don't like tricks that keep me from getting my punches in. Fire is… fair enough. He said you decide who fights who and when.]"

The Fighting-type saw Ash glance back at Drowzee and nodded to himself as it confirmed that he could understand them with the Psychic-type's help. The Trainer glanced at Charmeleon next, receiving a sure nod as the Flame Pokémon blew a puff of smoke out his nostrils.

"All right, but the fight's over when I say it's over," Ash replied as he took a step back to give them room and mediate. "Do both of you understand?"

The two Pokémon nodded and each jumped back to allow distance as they assumed starting positions.

"On my mark," the Trainer called.

Primeape stood upright and took a swift pair of jabs at the air with his right fist before throwing a left cross as he regarded his opponent from across the unofficial arena. Charmeleon sneered and swiped each of his clawed hands through the air before assuming a more hunched stance with one leg forward, the opposite arm reaching down with the claws eagerly digging into the path's dirt.

"Ready? Go!"

Both sprung forward, Primeape running with his fists held close to guard his body while Charmeleon took bounding steps after his initial leap, arms loose and held out, but curved inward.

The Flame Pokémon took the first strike, claws extending for a Slash attack from Primeape's left. Ducking down, the Fighting-type prepared for a strike to the exposed right side, but had to abort in the face of Charmeleon's swinging tail, his opponent having used the momentum of the aggressive strike to keep spinning.

But Primeape was able to leap forward before Charmeleon could finish spinning around and deflected his left hand with his right to get a gut punch with his left fist before immediately scoring an uppercut to his chin to follow up.

Charmeleon fell back, but grinned as he used his tail to catch himself and quickly spring back up, allowing him to catch the Pig Monkey Pokémon off guard and hit him with a Skull Bash to the forehead during his recovery.

"[Gah!]" Primeape grunted, barely regaining his bearings in time to dodge and block a frenzy of standard Scratch attacks. Using the weaker move allowed Charmeleon to get the attacks off quicker without the extra drag of the extended claws.

"[Why. Is. It. Always. The. Head?!]" The Pig Monkey Pokémon punctuated the last word by countering fiercely, breaking Charmeleon's combo with a punch to the shoulder and forcing him on the defensive in the window of opportunity.

Charmeleon kept his distance, using his longer reach to his advantage to try getting hits in when he could. Though he recalled Bellsprout's advice and didn't over-commit to any single strike so that he couldn't get grabbed.

'Time for my trump card.'

Ducking a strike at his face, the Fire-type curled his hand into a fist as he built up power in it and punched the ground, sending fragments of earth and a short cloud of dust up. While Primeape's guard was shifted upward to protect his eyes, Charmeleon lunged forward and punched him in the stomach as he sped past, launching the arm forward shortly before contact for maximum impact.

As the Fighting-type was sent arcing through the air, Charmeleon sped along the ground to where he would be and jumped up, twisting through the air and slamming Primeape downward with his tail. His opponent sent bouncing along, the Flame Pokémon landed with one hand on the ground so he'd be ready to move.

Primeape turned the second bounce into a roll and got back to his feet with some difficulty. Panting through his nostrils, he clenched a fist and slammed it into a nearby boulder, reducing it to smaller rocks. ( **3)**

Charmeleon realized what his next move was and readied his rock smashing fists again, the glow enveloping his hands, "[Bring it on!]"

Ash, meanwhile, held up Dexter to identify the move since he didn't recognize it, but the device returned the image of a question mark on a blue screen.

 ** _"No move entry found."_**

"No data?" he wondered before watching the battle again.

Charmeleon bobbed and weaved, dodging the projectiles and smashing whatever ones he couldn't. Primeape soon ran out of ammo with the furious pace he was throwing the rocks at and charged his opponent again. He wound up for a punch, but kicked outward when the Fire-type raised his guard.

While he was winded, Primeape rushed around and grabbed Charmeleon by the tail, causing him to grunt in surprise. Spinning around, the Pig Monkey Pokémon threw him towards another boulder before running after him.

As Charmeleon flew headfirst towards the rock, he charged his fist again and smashed it, raising a cloud of dust and falling into the center at a slower drop as the boulder split into fragments. Primeape caught up and wound up for another punch, but hit air as he swung towards the ground. The dust cleared to reveal a tunnel dug into the ground, through the lower portion of the stone.

The Flame Pokémon emerged a couple of meters away and held himself up with his hands on the edge of the new hole. Primeape turned to him with narrowed eyes, seeing that his opponent was still in relatively good condition compared to him.

"[Why aren't you using any fire attacks?]" he demanded.

Charmeleon grinned as he began stepping out of the hole, "[Why _would_ I? This is the most fun I've had in ages! We're evenly matched, there's no reason or emergency to fight for, and you've even given me a new power. What more could I ask for?]"

Once he was fully out, his tail flame was revealed to have changed colors from red to a pale blue. Eyes widening as Drowzee explained Charmeleon's statement of a new power, Ash took out Dexter again. The screen showed an image of a snarling Charmeleon with a blue flame on its tail.

 ** _"Unlike the typically mild-mannered Charmander, Charmeleon can be quite barbaric and tough to handle. If this Pokémon faces a strong foe, it turns aggressive, its tail flame becoming a bluish-white color."_** **(4)**

"Aggressive?" Ash asked. He looked at Charmeleon's grin, "He seems to be excited more than anything." He kept a close watch for any changes in the Fire-type's behavior, though.

Rushing forward, the Flame Pokémon felt anticipation course through his veins at the fight before him, seeming to fuel his movements.

Primeape's eyes widened a fraction as his opponent sprinted forward faster than before. He took a defensive posture and guarded against the Slash attacks with his metal wristbands, managing to divert the blows before they connected with his arms or body.

"[Come on!]" Charmeleon goaded as he pressed his attack. "[I _know_ you have to have more than this! Dig _deep_!]"

Feeling pressured when one of the extended claws nicked his forearm, Primeape used Screech and immediately followed up with Thrash while Charmeleon was disoriented. As everything went into a haze of rage for him, the last thing he remembered was a feeling of surprise at only half of his blows connecting.

After Charmeleon was sent flying, he rolled into a backwards somersault to get to all fours with an eager grin, "[ _Yes_! That's what I'm talking about.]"

"Shouldn't you be stepping in now?" Misty asked as she watched one Pokémon raging and the other clearly having too much fun with the battle.

Ash shook his head, "They can take it, and they're not done. Interrupting now wouldn't solve any of the issues they have with each other."

The redhead groaned, and Brock explained, "Some men just have to fight it out."

The two Pokémon charged each other again and Charmeleon ducked down and rolled around Primeape to avoid the opening attack, back on his feet in a crouched position. As the Fighting-type turned, the Fire-type tackled him, sending them both rolling across the ground in a tangled ball of violence. Primeape socked him in the face, which Charmeleon responded to by biting his shoulder.

Grunting in pain, the Pig Monkey Pokémon kneed him in the stomach to get him to open his mouth with a gasp and then kicked backwards while he was on the bottom to launch him off.

After Charmeleon landed harshly, both of them lay on the ground for a moment to catch their breath, both beginning to feel the effects of such a harsh battle. But they both still rolled to their stomachs and began moving to get up, each of them looking each other in the eye.

Ash looked at both Pokémon. Primeape seemed determined not to lose, but also had respect in his eyes instead of just anger. Charmeleon seemed to have already forgotten about the initial reason for fighting and just looked to be having fun, the same as when he sparred against other teammates, but with less holding back.

He clapped his hands twice, "All right, that's enough."

Both Pokémon fell to one knee, barely keeping from falling over. Primeape panted harshly while glancing at blood starting to come from where he'd been bitten. Charmeleon was breathing less harshly, but seemed equally tired as his tail flame returned to its normal color.

The Trainer walked towards Primeape with a gauze, Super Potion and roll of bandages, cleaning off the excess blood with the former before spraying the bite wound with a dose of medicine, causing the blood in the wound to clot.

After binding it with a length of the bandage roll, he took out a bottle of Potion and sprayed it at his abdomen and forearm, dulling the throb from Charmeleon's punch and the sting from getting slightly scratched.

With a nod of satisfaction, Ash moved to Charmeleon, who waited patiently since he only had a few bruises.

"Does anything feel broken?" the boy asked.

Charmeleon shook his head before directing where the Potion could do the most good, namely his jaw, stomach and right arm, the one he'd used to break the boulder he'd been flying towards. Reinforcement or not, the limb had cushioned most of the blow from his crashing into it fist-first.

Once the Fire-type was treated, Ash stood up and regarded the two of them, "So, you two finished hammering things out?"

They looked at each other for a moment before shrugging in apparent indifference and nodding to their Trainer. There wasn't any great fondness, but a respect had grown from their battle.

"[One question,]" Primeape said, turning to Charmeleon again. "[How'd you keep up with me?]"

The Flame Pokémon let out an amused grunt and tilted his head towards Pikachu, "[I'm used to fighting opponents faster than me.]"

"Glad that's settled," Ash replied with a nod. "Primeape, do you want to stick with us or leave?"

Much calmer after the fight he'd just had, the Fighting-type crossed his arms with his eyes shut. Being captured hadn't been on his agenda, but after such a satisfying battle, going back to fighting other wild Pokémon seemed boring by comparison. Especially since his evolution would likely make him one of the most powerful Pokémon in the area.

Opening one eye with a careless shrug, he replied, "[I guess I've got nothing better to do. I'll tag along for the good fights.]"

"Good enough for me," the Pallet Trainer replied while holding out two Poké Balls. "You two go ahead and rest up. We still have training this evening. Charmeleon, Primeape, return."

The two beams recalled the Pokémon, and he turned to Drowzee and Bellsprout next, "Bellsprout, you did well against Primeape. And Drowzee, thanks for your help with translating. Bellsprout, Drowzee, return."

With all of them recalled, and Pikachu back beside him, he turned to Brock and Misty.

"Well, this has been interesting, but we'd better get a move on," Ash commented. "How far to Celadon City, Brock?"

The breeder pointed down the path, towards some distant mountains, "All we've gotta do is follow this road. Celadon City is only a day's walk from here—even less if we keep up a fast pace."

Ash stared at the mountains for a bit before taking out his walking stick and strolling easily along with Pikachu at his heels, "Well, we just resupplied, so we're not in any huge rush. Let's take our time for once."

"I guess not even _we_ can get lost following a path," Misty muttered as she and Brock followed along.

" _You_ call it getting lost," the Pallet Trainer said over his shoulder. " _I_ call it going on an adventure."

Brock chuckled, "Actually _getting_ to new places instead of searching for them can be adventurous too."

Ash laughed, but kept his eyes on the mountains ahead. There were lots of places one could hide there. If he were to place a bet, he'd wager that Team Rocket was waiting for an ambush. So he took the time getting there to plan a counterattack.

* * *

Team Rocket waited all day for the Trainer trio to show up, hiding in the mountains at Celadon City's outskirts. Once night fell, they retreated back to their ship and went inside to turn in for the evening after dinner.

Jessie looked around her rather empty room in the dark, for once regretting having chosen a room for herself. Knowing her two primary partners, Meowth had probably slipped into bed with James for the two to sleep more securely. Jessie hadn't been so lucky and slept terribly the previous night after they'd fled Saffron City.

But it wasn't like she could do the same. She had an image to maintain.

'Then again…' She looked at the empty bed on the other side of the room, 'It _is_ two beds to a room.'

That reasoning had led to her knocking on Ella's door at night with her bedding and pillow tucked under one arm. The pilot opened the door while rubbing her eyes, her normally pristine hair a little ruffled from apparent bedhead. Though once she was awake enough to take stock of Jessie in nightclothes with her pillow, she grinned and took a breath, seemingly about to shout something in joy.

Jessie held up a finger, "One word and I'm leaving, regardless of how I'll sleep. Speak of this to _anyone_ , and I'll put forth a request for a change of operative to pilot our ship."

Ella's mouth clamped shut, still with a huge grin as she nodded and waved Jessie inside. The Officer set herself up on the bed opposite of Ella's. The pilot's room already demonstrated a bit of a personal touch with a poster of an airplane flying in the sky above her bed and glow in the dark stars stuck to the walls and ceiling surrounding her.

Once the light was off, Jessie managed to fall asleep relatively easily with how tired she was. So exhausted, that she didn't notice Ella crawling into bed next to her with a content sigh as the pilot cuddled next to her.

* * *

While Bellsprout was practicing his newly learned Razor Leaf and trying to use the sharpened leaves themselves for a Swords Dance, Ash surveyed Drowzee's fighting while Charmeleon and Primeape sparred in the background. The Fighting-type was helping to correct some flaws in his style, allowing the Flame Pokémon to move with more efficiency as he fought.

Drowzee threw a few punches, and then took a deep breath as he concentrated. Teleporting away, he reappeared and disappeared several times, each time throwing a punch, kick or headbutt in a random chain of attacks centered around an imaginary opponent from different angles. Although with the last kick, he teetered and fell on his rear from being disoriented at teleporting so many times in rapid succession.

"All right," Ash noted while helping his Pokémon up, "speed teleporting is a work in progress, you can read your opponent's mind to predict their attacks, but can only react so fast, and your fighting style is mostly simple attacks, not that there's anything wrong with that."

Drowzee scratched the back of his head, _'Sorry. Don't have much experience with regular fighting. I mostly spent my time avoiding other Trainers and Pokémon.'_

"That's fine; training is to help gain experience," the Trainer easily replied while taking out Dexter. "For now, let's try teaching you a different move. Poison Gas sounds like it could be useful for wearing down tough opponents until your fighting gets better."

Once the evening training was done, Ash called over Primeape while the rest of the Pokémon got ready to rest for the night. The Fighting-type was still keyed up because of his adrenaline, and was more than happy to have something extra to do.

* * *

An alarm clock went off in a low-quality apartment within Celadon City, the hand of its grumbling owner slamming down on it before tilting it to check the time.

"Ugh… gotta rake the leaves, check for litter, and all that stuff…" he cursed, wondering if getting the job was worth it. The hours started really early and mostly involved hanging around outside all day and making sure the park was well-kept.

Mitchell had always considered himself relatively fit – his lifestyle required being able to run and evade – but he'd never had constant, hard manual labor. And it didn't even pay that well. It was enough to afford the apartment, but he could've done that without the job. Heck, with the money he had stored away in various locations, he could've afforded a better apartment for several months without a job, but it would make him stick out, plus he preferred to save his money. He could never tell when he'd need a lot for something important.

'Like buying my way out of that jam in Gringey City.'

Rubbing his eyes as he stared at the ceiling, the man took consolation in the fact that his lot could be worse. It could be summer. Working outside all day gave him a nice tan to further disguise himself, given that he used to be pretty pale from working at night and in the shadows all the time. And he wasn't alone in maintaining the park. That would be outrageous with how large it is.

Getting up, he knocked on the side of a large wooden box filled with dirt, prompting his Dugtrio to surface with bleary eyes as Mitchell set about preparing them both breakfast.

* * *

James regarded his partner, noting that she seemed extra grumpy as they and Meowth made their way back to the ambush point.

"Did you have problems sleeping again?" he tentatively asked.

Jessie's expression seemed to darken even further, "Oh, no, I slept _great_!"

Seeing that the subject was sensitive, James left it alone, taking a half-step away from his fellow Officer as the trio continued.

Gritting her teeth, Jessie remembered waking up to find Ella comfortably resting her head on her shoulder. An angry tirade and a punch on the head weren't enough to discourage the pilot, as she'd simply replied that it had been totally worth it to have a "snuggle buddy."

The worst part was that her presence had actually been comforting, but she couldn't go back without encouraging her.

"Let's just get this ambush done with," she said, effectively ending the discussion. "The twerp should be by soon."

* * *

As Team Rocket made their way over, Primeape watched from above, remembering Ash's warning.

 _"If you see two humans dressed in clothes that have this symbol,"_ he'd said while pointing to an R drawn on his notepad, _"along with a Meowth that walks on two legs, then they're there to attack us and try to take Pikachu. Clear them out so that we can get to Celadon without any problems. And attack right away. If you give them a chance to call out Pokémon, they'll overpower you. They wouldn't pay any mind to a one-on-one battle. I know you're strong, but I'm dead serious, Primeape: You_ would _be captured."_

If there was nothing, he was supposed to find Celadon City so that he could meet up with Ash again and lead the group there. He was also free to train on his own enough to get to sleep, which he'd done the previous night. But the trio that his Trainer had described showed up after all.

While his inner fighter wanted to see what sort of challenge they could pose, his instincts warned against it. Like it or not, Ash knew what he was talking about with Pokémon and their strength.

Letting out a sigh, he internally added, 'And he cares about his Pokémon, which now includes me, so he wouldn't joke about something like that.'

Revving up his anger, Primeape began panting as everything went red in his eyes, his vision tunneling on the trio.

* * *

A small rock tumbling down the cliff with a light clatter was their only warning before they heard an angry shout from above. Looking up, they saw an enraged Primeape descending on them. He tackled them to the ground and beat them up harshly before they could respond.

When he was done with them, he uppercut them through the air, sending them far from the path to Celadon City.

"What did we ever do to _that_ Pokémon?!" James wondered as the trio sailed over several small mountains.

Meowth grumbled, "We didn't even get ta do _anythin'_ today!"

"The twerp must've had something to do with this," Jessie growled. "I don't know how, but this has his fingerprints all over it. That Primeape must be one of his new Pokémon."

As the trio crashed back to the ground from their relatively short trip, they pulled themselves up and started making ready to leave when they noticed just where they'd landed. About a dozen Primeape glared down at them from all around, the Rocket agents apparently having landed in some sort of habitat of the Fighting-types.

James chuckled nervously, "Eh-heh… Or maybe they're just easily offended. We must've been near their turf."

"You all picked a _bad day_ to come across us," Jessie threatened, already reaching for her Pokémon. James started doing the same while Meowth got ready to slip away in the confusion and attack their legs to weaken them for his teammates.

But before they could act, the trio was suddenly afflicted with a bout of weakness, their bodies suddenly feeling so heavy that they couldn't stop themselves from flopping to the ground. The Primeapes were perplexed for a moment, wondering if the intruders had suddenly dropped dead. But the groans emanating from their bodies proved otherwise, and they began to crowd around to punish them for trespassing.

A Poké Ball opening sounded as the energy form shot out of the slit in James' hakama before materializing into a giant serpentine form that caused the Pig Monkey Pokémon to back off. Gyarados emerged on the ground appearing equally weak, but used all the strength that he had to curl around the trio protectively and tighten his body up to seal any holes as he growled weakly at the attacking Pokémon.

"Gyarados…" James muttered as he stared at the Atrocious Pokémon's body from inside the coil, the light limited and tinted blue. He heard the sounds of fists striking against Gyarados's scales and felt the slight tremors. This was the second time that his largest Pokémon had come in to save him. And not just him, he protected the entire team.

"Gyarados…!" the Officer bit out again, his hand struggling to reach inside his hakama.

"What're…you doin'…?" Meowth asked, barely managing to move his eyes to look.

Shuffling inside, James managed to find what he was looking for and pulled his fist back out, "Getting…! A jump-start!" He opened his hand to reveal a Zap Cap in it before he moved the tab to expose the prongs.

As Gyarados endured the beating, he heard a discharge of electricity from inside his defense. Though he couldn't afford to move, otherwise the Primeapes would get past him.

But he felt something thinner than a Primeape squeezing through the top of his coiled body from the inside. Opening an eye, he saw his Trainer coming out from behind with frazzled hair and burns over his body. A Primeape rushed at him, but James threw a bomb at the approaching Pokémon. It blew up and left the Pokémon burnt and damaged by the explosion, which also drew the others' attention.

James lunged through the smoke, used to operating in it as he was, and stuck the damaged Primeape with a Zap Cap, discharging its payload into the Pokémon and knocking it out.

Turning around slowly, he was revealed to have a lit blue rose held in his teeth as he took out two more bombs and lit them with the flame. His eyes were half-dead and his body trembled with pain, but he still stood.

"You _stay away_ from my Pokémon," he growled around the artificial flower.

The other Pokémon growled at the threat and charged en masse, but he threw the explosives out to get a small reprieve and took out a handful of smoke pellets, bathing the area in haze after he threw them to the ground.

In the ensuing chaos, the Primeape couldn't find him and sometimes wound up attacking each other. Explosions rang out; zapping struck through the din, but only revealed an unconscious Primeape when investigated. The hunt for James continued in that fashion, the den of Fighting-types being picked off one by one. By the time their numbers were reduced to a single digit, they decided to cut their losses and run, evacuating the cloud and climbing a cliff to flee where it would be difficult for a human to follow.

The smoke cleared after a while with the natural breeze and James was left standing among four Primeape that were unconscious and one still awake but stuck to the ground with copious amounts of his white rose's paste. He put out the blue rose's flame to save on its fuel and turned to the conscious Primeape. Walking over with the sureness of an executioner, he took out another Zap Cap, causing the Pig Monkey Pokémon to struggle harder to get even one limb free from the sticky mass.

James casually rendered the Fighting-type unconscious with the cartridge and then walked back to Gyarados, who watched in slight awe. Patting him with a tired smile, he leaned against the sea serpent and slid to the ground sitting down. Taking a walkie-talkie from his hakama, he called the other one that was with Ella.

"Officer to pilot, come in."

"Rrrreading you loud and clear, over," Ella responded with a phony masculine accent.

"We were attacked and caught by surprise, sent flying east of the ambush point," he reported. "Send Burton, Frank and Henry to find us, on the double. Bring five empty Poké Balls and some rubbing alcohol to dissolve the paste trapping the fifth Primeape."

"Fifth wha-? What happened?" the pilot asked, dropping the joking attitude.

"We landed in a Primeape den," James explained. "I drove off most of them, but I have no idea how long they'll stay that way. I need medical attention since I had to fight off some mysterious weakness by electrocuting myself. Severely."

"All right, I've sent- Wait." After a pause, the line came back on, "Frank just said that Burton collapsed after he tried running off as fast as he could to find you."

"We'll figure it out later, Frank and Henry will suffice," the Officer urgently cut off.

"They're already on their way."

"Good. Over and out," James replied while putting the communicator away. With that done, he focused on staying awake.

* * *

Ash and company packed up their camp, having finished breakfast, the Pallet Trainer having saved some of his for some reason.

"Pri!"

They looked at the call and saw Primeape jogging back from up ahead.

"What's Primeape doing up ahead?" Misty asked Ash.

"I sent him to scout ahead last night since he was too excited to sleep," Ash answered, giving his leftovers to the Fighting-type when he arrived. "Did you find Celadon City?"

Primeape nodded while happily scarfing down the food and waved for them to follow.

* * *

Frank had both Jessie and James over his shoulders, the latter gladly passed out after he'd returned Gyarados while the female Officer stayed defiantly conscious even if she wasn't much for conversation in her weakened state. Henry carried Meowth, having done what first aid he could to James after his burly teammate had carried him to their location to allow for faster running. The Poké Balls containing the five Primeape were in his medical bag, but he was more concerned about getting James back to the airship quickly and safely.

Frank suddenly flattened against one of the rocks as much as he could with his cargo, "Shh…"

The medic realized what his teammate meant when he heard somebody coming. They kept quiet and stuck to the area behind the rocks as Ash and his companions passed right by them, barely visible through a split in the formation, a Primeape leading the way.

After they were gone, Jessie angrily muttered, "Knew it…!" One of her eyes had been lined up to see with the way that Frank was holding her.

"Shush!" Henry urgently whispered. "As your medic, I say you're in no condition to battle, so we're sneaking past them."

The two able agents then continued onward, moving past the path to Celadon and to the west where Ella parked the airship. When they arrived, the pilot was waiting outside to meet them. Henry handed Meowth to her, taking Jessie off of Frank's shoulder to support her before passing her off to Ella as well with a breath of exertion.

"Take them to their rooms," he said. "Whatever this weakness is, I'll have to investigate it later. Frank, take James to my room, I need to put him on an IV drip."

As they went, the medic muttered, trying to recall the symptoms of electrocution, "Relatively light cases are usually rested off, but a severe one like this usually has muscle pain and contractions, occasionally spasms—I'll need to add some muscle relaxant to the drip… Arrhythmia, I need to put him on a heart monitor too to watch out for that and keep some lidocaine ready…"

Once the duo arrived at his room, he instructed Frank to lay James on the spare bed and took some medical equipment that he kept tied down in the corner.

"Thank you, now please leave. I need space to work."

* * *

Ash looked out over the view from the mountain path to see Celadon City in sight. It seemed far more expansive than Saffron, even if the towers weren't as tall.

He nodded to the Pig Monkey Pokémon, "Thanks, Primeape."

Primeape nodded back and allowed himself to be returned.

"Celadon Gym…" The Pallet Trainer straightened his hat with a confident smile, "Today we scout it out and plan our strategy before we hit the Celadon Department Store. Tomorrow, we win our fourth badge."

"Pi- _ka_!" Pikachu agreed from his shoulder.

* * *

 **Notes:**

 **1\. In the games, the move is kept until the Pokémon is switched out or the battle is over, so I made it five minutes. If anybody has a better idea on the length of time, I'd be glad to hear it.**

 **2\. I mean, we never really see him feeding his Onix. This was the best explanation I could come up with besides "He does it offscreen."**

 **3\. This isn't Rock Smash; it's just Primeape's raw strength.**

 **4\. This came up in the Hoenn Pokédex entries for Charmeleon, along with Gold/HeartGold for Charizard. It's different from Rage, operating more like adrenaline than anger. The reason it never appeared in canon, in my opinion, is because Ash's Charmeleon was never challenged and/or evolved too fast, so the ability never had a chance to set in.**

 **As for why it's not mentioned in Charmeleon's first Pokédex entry, Dexter saw fit to include Mankey's volatile temper in a separate entry that only appears when a Mankey is _already_ angry, unless somebody knows and actively searches for the information.**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	30. Chapter 30: Changes of the Season

**Review responses:**

 ** _Snoozing Lurker_** **: Probably. Jessie did not have an easy life and was all alone except for Ekans for the most part. She had a few friends, but never saw them as more than casual acquaintances.**

 **Also, yeah, Gengar's curse could've come at a much worse time. If they and their Pokémon were helpless in front of Ash, he probably would've turned them in to the police. That would be arguably worse than just getting beaten up and launched again out of the den of Primeapes.**

 ** _Fox McCloude_** **: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed.**

 ** _BbK2442_** **: In order:**

 **2\. James isn't really physically inclined. Sure, he had the physical training all agents get, but he mainly uses it to run away instead of fighting. He managed to defeat the Primeapes with the latter two qualities, though, sowing confusion with smoke and taking advantage of their predictable rage to sneak around and take them out one by one.**

 **3\. We'll see.**

 **4a. Onix may be like a snake, but unlike a regular snake, he doesn't have a traditional metabolism. His stone body is equally impervious to both heat and cold, and is only really vulnerable to water. The greater part of his body, inside and out, is made of stone, with only his eyes and nervous system attached being made of organic tissue. Even his digestive tract is mostly made of expanding and contracting scales of stone, which is how he can grind up and process rocks for his diet. As a result, even exerting himself doesn't speed up his metabolism like it would a regular snake.**

 **4b. As far as I've ever been able to tell, Onix's stone hide is fixed, and does not expand. But I would think that Onix's already giant size means that any food or rock he wants to eat would be able to be snapped up rather easily or crushed into more manageable pieces. The same for Steelix, aside from the evolved Pokémon having visible teeth.**

 **5\. Amusing as that image is, I'm gonna have to say no to something like that. I try to keep it realistic, and Butterfree a) can't wear a leather jacket with his wings, b) doesn't have fingers to pull a trigger, and c) would likely mangle a shotgun if he tried to wield it with telekinesis since he hasn't exercised much control over the ability yet, never mind the fact that he wouldn't know how to hold it properly with his powers since he's never fired/seen a gun in his life.**

 ** _BrightNova169_** **: In order:**

 **6\. Ash will probably think to ask when he next calls Professor Oak.**

 **7\. He probably could, but it was something that he tried on a whim, and he only read the surface thoughts. A deeper read would require time and closer proximity without practice.**

 **9\. It would've lain dormant until it activated.**

 **10\. The curse was more an illusion of weakness, sapping their motor control. James broke the spell by inflicting pain on himself, something real that he could focus on to shake off the spell.**

 ** _The King of Ranting_** **: Weeeell… If they were of comparable power, that'd be possible. But there's only so much that skill can close the gap against a significantly more powerful opponent.**

 ** _Ragnarok_** **(Chapter 1): My intention was not to make them sympathetic. They are villains as much as they were in canon, the only difference being that they know how to do their job. And they were pretty hypocritical in canon, too, continuing to try attacking Ash to steal Pikachu despite being saved by him multiple times. If confronted about it, they would probably just freely admit that they steal Pokémon despite caring for their own and coyly add, "Double standards are a _wonderful_ thing, aren't they?" They're bona fide Card-Carrying Villains.**

 ** _Snakespur_** **: Well, the chapter's here, so wait no longer.**

 ** _TheShadowOfZama_** **: I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the previous one.**

 ** _Engineer1869_** **: Answers to your questions:**

 **1\. It was a one-time thing. Unless he laid on a new one, it'll only affect them once.**

 **2\. No, they're going to Giovanni as soon as they're healed up from the thorough zapping that James gave them.**

 ** _Accalia_** **: A few things to point out, first. One, the pilot's name is Ella, though I suppose Ellie would be an affectionate nickname. Two, it was a den of Primeape. Another reviewer made the same mistake, so I'm clearing that up.**

 **Second, yeah, it was a break from the norm to have Ash anticipate them and strike first. Gyarados was awed at the defense his Trainer mounted, and does care for him all the more because of it.**

 **Remember that in the third BtS chapter, that Viper said he was going to keep the Squirtle Squad for more training regardless of whether they passed the final exam of the Team Rocket Academy or not. So, no.**

 **Now, on with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 30: Changes of the Season

The remaining subordinates had gathered around Henry's room before long, the only ones missing being Jessie and Meowth since they were still weakened.

The medic emerged, a steady beeping emerging from the room before he closed the door again.

"Who knows how to give medicine through an IV drip?" He abruptly asked. "I can teach you relatively quickly, but every second counts; I need to examine the others."

Frank and Ella awkwardly looked at each other and then at Charlie who remained silent for a moment before sighing and lifting a finger.

"You know what arrhythmia is?" the medic asked.

The disguised agent replied, "I've posed as a nurse; I had to study to make sure I didn't give myself away with poor procedures. Before I had Natu, anyway."

"Add this if he starts showing an irregular heartbeat," Henry instructed while handing a syringe with the needle covered. "It's lidocaine; it should bring it back under control. Make sure to check it for bubbles before administering."

"Got it."

Charlie went into the room before Henry started speed walking to Jessie's room towards the front of the ship.

* * *

When Ash and company arrived in Celadon City, they looked up at the tall buildings everywhere.

"Where are we even supposed to start searching?" the Pallet Trainer wondered.

Pikachu shrugged before he sniffed the air, seeming to catch a scent, "[What's that?]"

Brock and Misty could smell it as well, the former commenting, "Hey, something smells heavenly."

"What?" Ash asked before Brock leaned in a direction further into the city and ran off. "Hey, where are you going?"

Taking off after him, the Pallet Trainer managed to keep Brock in his sight while he and Misty followed along. After turning a corner, they looked around and found him leaned right up to a window, grinning dreamily at something inside.

The Pallet Trainer shook his head with a fond smile at his friend's antics, able to guess the subject of his stare. He didn't quite understand why, but he knew that the breeder was interested in girls. The eleven-year-old had given it some thought before and guessed that he'd figure it out when he was older. That's what his mom always said about certain subjects anyway.

When he stopped next to him, Ash asked in an amused tone, "Who're you making eyes at, Brock?"

"My nose tells me that this is my kind of town," Brock answered, recomposing himself slightly to make his smile more casual.

The Pallet Trainer looked inside and, to his lack of surprise, saw a trio of teenage girls in pink and yellow uniforms talking to each other. The glass shelves around the store were lined with bottles, whether plain or ornate. Looking up, Ash saw a sign that identified the building as a perfume shop.

"Perfume, huh?" he mused. Then he turned to Misty, "Since we're traveling through the wild, I wouldn't-"

Ash blinked when he noticed that the redhead was gone. Brock tapped his shoulder and gestured inside through the window. The Cerulean Leader was already seated and trying a sample on her wrist.

Rolling his eyes, the Trainer thought, 'Guess Misty likes her luxuries.'

He'd never really seen the point of perfume. His mom had never used the stuff and Ash was of the opinion that a bath worked well enough to smell good. Perfume just seemed nonessential, especially for someone traveling on a journey.

'Then again,' he granted while giving himself a sniff, 'a bath might be good before scouting the Gym and going shopping.'

With all of the chaos and nonstop journeying from Saffron City to Lavender Town and back, along with leaving soon after dealing with Sabrina, they hadn't stayed at a Pokémon Center since Maiden's Peak. The Pallet Trainer was beginning to smell a bit ripe under the arms, and washing his clothes probably wouldn't hurt either; he had an extra shirt and pair of jeans in his backpack along with several sets of underclothes in his backpack thanks to his mom.

Ash turned to Pikachu in order to share his plan to get cleaned up, but noticed the Electric-type taking deep sniffs of the air while staring through the window.

"Pikachu, do you want a bottle of perfume too?" he asked.

Pikachu jolted at having been caught staring and awkwardly fiddled with his fingers while looking away.

The Trainer smiled slightly, "C'mon, just because I don't care about the stuff doesn't mean you aren't allowed to like it. Lead the way—but just one bottle, okay?"

Beaming, the Electric-type jumped down from his perch and walked in through the automatic doors with Ash close behind. Brock followed along as well, moving towards one of the unoccupied employees to talk with her.

Calling one of the others, a girl with green hair with her hair tied in high pigtails, he said, "Hi, I'm looking for a bottle of perfume for my Pikachu?"

"All right," she answered with a nod. "What scents do they like?"

"Uhh…" Ash looked at Pikachu, who shrugged before looking back at the girl. "Ketchup?" The Electric-type tilted his head in thought before nodding since it was true.

"I'll just get some samples for your Pokémon to try, sir," the clerk replied easily.

* * *

"So you started regaining your range of movement?"

Meowth was seated on the edge of his bed now, still weakened but able to hold himself upright as he answered, "Yeah. Is James gonna be okay?"

"I've done what I can for him," Henry answered. "All we can do is wait for him to heal. But this is good; it seems that the weakness is working its way out of your body. I already took some of Jessie and Burton's blood to test, and found their white blood cell counts to be normal despite the fatigue. The same could probably be said for you and the rest of the Pokémon, but I'm not going to make any assumptions."

Taking out a covered butterfly needle and a vial along with rubbing alcohol and a short length of bandage to Meowth's horror, he said, "Come on; arm out."

"Can't I order ya not to?"

"As medic, I supersede you in regards to medical situations. It's my job to ensure that everyone on this team stays healthy. Examining your blood will give me the chance to check that Pokémon are still physically fine as well. Now man up."

* * *

After finding the Pokémon Center with some directional assistance from the store employee, Ash took a bath after giving his various Pokémon a cleaning with the shower head and some soap for those who needed it. Bellsprout in particular seemed to enjoy the gentle sprinkling of water. The Trainer was going to skip dousing Charmeleon at first, but the Fire-type insisted that he get washed, Drowzee translating the message. The water made him shiver a bit, but he went through the whole process of being cleaned and rinsed, evaporating the excess water from his skin afterward by concentrating.

Once that was done, Ash recalled his Pokémon and carried his dirty clothes in a bag—jacket, gloves and hat included once he emptied the former's pockets and stored the badges and Pokédex in his backpack. With the extra clothes removed, he was in a simple black shirt with his extra pair of jeans, Pikachu on his shoulder as usual.

Making his way to the center's laundry room, he put his backpack down near a row of chairs and tossed his small bundle of clothes into a single washer, putting the cycle on cold before punching his ID number in to charge it from his credits. Once the machine locked and started up, dispensing detergent on his clothes inside before filling with water, he sat down in the chair while throwing the empty bag over his backpack and took out his guidebook on Pokémon types for some quick reading. Patting his lap for Pikachu to lie down, he absently petted his starter.

Checking the table of contents, he skipped the types that he already knew about such as the three starter types, Electric, Flying and Fighting, moving right onto some of the more complex ones.

'Huh, bug moves are good against Psychic-types too,' he noted when he got to the Psychic-type. But there was a penned in note – probably by Samurai – that Bug-type moves were mainly physical and could easily be stopped. Furthermore, Ash internally added, bugs didn't _resist_ telekinesis; they could only affect psychics if they hit them, which was easier said than done.

The Ghost-type page said that the Pokémon were infamously tricky to deal with since they were typically invisible. Below that, it said that the only Pokémon that would have any hope against one would be another Ghost-type. **(1)**

Flipping through other pages, he found out that most Ice-types were also Water-types, Dragon-types were exceedingly tough once fully developed with few true weaknesses aside from exceeding brute force from a Normal or Fighting-type, ice moves or another Dragon Pokémon, and that there was a whole other section in the latter half of the book dedicated to resistances.

Reading through it, most seemed intuitive. Many types resisted themselves with few exceptions, and logic filled in many of the other relationships regarding the resistances. There were also extra bits of information in regards to immunities, such as Grass-types' immunity to powders, Poison-types to being poisoned, and Electric-types to paralysis via electric moves. **(2)** Although he couldn't figure out why Water-types resisted ice moves. If water froze against the cold, wouldn't that make Water-types vulnerable to being frozen too, especially if they were inside the water?

'Questions for later,' he decided, continuing through the book. Before long, the buzzer rang on his washing machine and he patted his relaxed Pokémon to get him to move before getting up to put his clothes in the dryer.

"Ash Ketchum?"

With a questioning grunt, Ash looked up and saw a boy with long, dark purple hair in a dark green school uniform. The Pallet Trainer pursed his lips in thought since he could swear that he'd seen him somewhere before.

"It's me, Vincent," the boy reminded, moving forward with his own laundry bag. "From Pokémon Tech?"

"Ah!" Ash realized. "You were one of Giselle's followers."

Vincent seemed a bit put out that he was remembered like that, but still extended his hand, "I see you're still as forthright as ever."

The Pallet Trainer started the dryer before shaking the student's hand, "I guess. Anyway, what're you doing all the way out here? How's Pokémon Tech doing?"

"The Tech is still getting back on its feet, but should be able to accept students for the spring term," Vincent explained. "I don't envy the students that have to catch up. As for Giselle, Joe, me and my friends, we moved on and went on our own journey."

He set his own clothes, mainly copies of his current attire, and started his own machine while punching in his own Trainer ID, "I'll tell you, it was a humbling experience the first few weeks."

"Well what're you up to now?"

"My friends and I have been attending Celadon University," Vincent explained. "Pursuing a career in something other than Pokémon Training is a good back-up plan."

"Think you could treat me to a battle?" Ash asked while taking a seat. "I'd like to see if you and your friends got some good learning since I saw you last."

The student chuckled, "Thanks, but all the same, I think I'd prefer to keep my money. Budgeted as it is, I still shouldn't be reckless with my funds. I saw you on the news, you know, when you were in Porta Vista. That Pidgeot of yours could sweep aside anything I have."

"I could go easy on you."

"But would you willingly throw a fight?"

Ash snorted as he opened his book again, "Pft, no. At least, not unless there was a very good reason."

Starting up the machine, Vincent sat near Ash with one chair between them to allow for room, tenting his fingers before his mouth with his elbows rested on his knees as he leaned forward, apparently waiting patiently for his laundry to be done.

Seeing that the conversation was over, the Pallet Trainer turned back to his book, looking through Rock-types' resistances.

"We were hoping to find you at some point since there was a Gym here in Celadon."

Hearing Vincent's hushed voice, he was about to move when the student immediately spoke again.

"Don't look at me; keep reading your book."

Ash's brow furrowed, but he did so, holding it up higher as he pretended to be looking at something closely on the page.

"What's this about?" he whispered from behind the cover while still petting Pikachu, who tried hard to appear relaxed.

"You may not be aware of it, but you have help. You inspire people to fight back against Team Rocket, and to solve problems where we can."

"I do?"

"I wasn't lying when I said that I saw you on the news," Vincent replied. "You show that there's more to being a Trainer than just being a good battler. You also rallied the people aboard the St. Anne during Team Rocket's raid."

Ash turned a page in his book as he thought about that. He didn't know that he had such a following.

"We tried to find help wherever we could on the way here, recruiting other people and having them travel outward to find other people."

"What about Giselle and Joe?" Ash asked. "You mentioned them apart from your friends when you were talking earlier."

"You're sharper than you seem at first," the student complimented. "They split up from us a while back to recruit other people, starting with Pewter City and Cerulean since Joe remembered that you had their badges," the purple-haired boy explained. "We've had to keep it discreet, though. We don't know when Team Rocket can be listening."

Closing his eyes as if dozing, he continued with his mouth obscured, "My friends and I decided to stick around here since such a big city needs all five of us to monitor it. Did you know that the Celadon Game Corner was a front to fund Team Rocket? We started staking it out after seeing strangers outside of the usual staff going in and out the employee entrance inside. They had uniforms, but after the first stranger, we started keeping track of the staff members we saw.

"We snuck a small microphone into the owner's office by picking the backdoor's lock. On the device it fed the audio to, we heard the manager talking to someone that he referred to as 'Boss' on the phone. We turned the recording in to the police and they handled the rest. But it taught us more than ever to always be on our guard when talking about our plans."

Ash turned a page, "Thanks, it's good to know that there's one less Rocket operation going on."

"There was also an incident in-" Vincent gritted his teeth with an annoyed sigh. "HopHopHop Town."

When Ash's eyes widened slightly, he covered up the reaction by tilting his head as he looked at the page he'd turned to, which was simply the Bug-type's resistances.

The student added, "Yes, that's the district's real name. Anyway, a pair of us helped investigate some missing children and found out that errant hypnosis waves from the Pokémon Lovers Club's Hypno got them thinking they were Pokémon. The people were using hypnosis to help with their insomnia, you see.

"A groundskeeper reported them to be in the central park after he spotted a kid running towards the pond while speaking like a Pokémon. We broke the hypnosis with the club's Drowzee. Furthermore, we recommended some Grass or Bug-type Pokémon to fix their insomnia with Sleep Powder so as to prevent it from happening again."

The Pallet Trainer smiled from behind his guidebook, "You've done good work helping this city."

"Yeah, but we also need your help," Vincent replied, causing Ash to listen attentively. "The P1 Grand Prix tournament is being held in two days, but none of the five of us have a Fighting-type to compete. **(3)** Those of the group that do are too far away. With such a concentration of strong Pokémon, we can bet that at least one agent will show up, probably more. If you could compete, then you could head off any plan they might have."

"I'll have to move my Celadon Gym battle up to today, but I'll be there. I have my Primeape to let me compete."

"Good, the contest is being held in Caesar Town, also home to Scissor Street. **(4)** Exit east of Celadon past… _that_ district and you should get there with a day to spare. You can ask for directions from there. Fuchsia Gym is also supposed to be somewhere in the wilderness out east, so there's that."

"Got it; past, pfft, HopHopHop Town. Who _named_ it?" the Trainer wondered with a slight chuckle.

But he got himself under control as he heard his dryer buzz. He allowed Pikachu to climb up to his shoulder as he put the small book down and took out his notepad and marker. "Well, it was nice seeing you again, Vincent." Ash wrote down his number before handing the paper to the student. "Here, if you ever want to get in touch again, just call my Pokégear."

"While I'm not usually one to make social calls, I'll keep that in mind," the purple-haired boy replied, accepting the paper. They both knew that it was really so that he could pass it on to other members of the resistance who could contact him in case of an emergency they couldn't handle.

Ash took out his clothes and carried them in his hands as he slung his backpack over one shoulder and left back to his room to put his clothes back in order.

Once he was inside, he slipped on his jacket and put his badges back on the inside along with pulling out his Pokédex from his jeans to check his current team. Deciding to put off switching until he was at the Gym, he closed the device and put it away before putting on his hat and gloves.

"I wanted to plan this out a bit more thoroughly, but it looks like I'll have to think on my feet at the Gym once I see what type it specializes in."

* * *

James woke up with a numb feeling in his limbs along with a steady beeping sound in his ear. There were garbled voices as well, clearing up as he regained full consciousness.

"-27 AM, his heart rate started exhibiting mild arrhythmia, so I administered the lidocaine. Heartbeat was restored to normal at approximately 11:29 AM."

"Good, the drug is doing its job, then. Ah, seems he's awake."

Turning his head, James asked, "What happened? Everything after the Primeape attacked is a bit of a blur."

"You shocked yourself with approximately three Thunderbolts' worth of electricity," Henry clinically informed. "After which, being the only one to shrug off the mysterious weakness through sheer pain, you apparently drove off the Primeape and subdued five of them for capture. You then called Ella to send help and passed out once we found you seated against your weakened Gyarados."

"Is everyone okay?"

"The weakness is filtering its way out of their bodies, and I checked their blood to find nothing physically wrong with them. Since I tested Meowth too, the same can probably be said for the rest of your Pokémon recovering given time."

"From the sound of that, it seems like you were cursed," Charlie mused. "Curses are rough, sap the strength something fierce and are hard to shrug off. Powerful ghosts are known to lay them down, particularly on trespassers or others that have wronged them."

"That Gengar," James realized.

The disguise specialist snorted, "You're lucky that it was just a strength sapping spell. It must've been a relatively young Gengar. Ghosts that haunt and guard tombs are known to be harsher with their curses."

"Looks like I have my work cut out for me on this team…" Henry muttered. "Curses, ghosts, psychics. We never covered any of _those_ in med school."

* * *

Ash looked up at the red flower-like decoration with white spots on the roof of Celadon Gym, along with the long orange leaves sticking outward from underneath it.

"I _could_ be wrong, but I think it's a Grass-type Gym," he muttered to Pikachu. The Electric-type rolled his eyes at his sarcasm.

The Trainer took out his Pokédex again and clicked the white button, displaying his full team. Aside from Butterfree and Pikachu, he had Charmeleon, Primeape, Drowzee and Bellsprout.

He briefly contemplated bringing in Bulbasaur since he was his most experienced Grass Pokémon, but decided that the Seed Pokémon's straightforward fighting style could by predicted by a Grass-type specialist, especially without powders to help. Toxic _could_ work, but it was a simple stream and could easily be dodged. And that would be if the Pokémon wasn't a Grass/Poison-type like Bulbasaur. Even his ability to blow away powders wasn't all that useful in this case since he was already immune to them.

"Hmm… Primeape has already shown that he has trouble with Grass-types and is vulnerable to getting tangled and hit with powder. I'll switch him out for Pidgeot to keep a trump card. Primeape'll get the P1 Grand Prix to fight at anyway and Pidgeot should be able to blow away any opponent without much trouble."

As he made the switch and caught the Poké Ball, he continued while moving up the steps, "Charmeleon, Drowzee and Bellsprout will be good to go first; you have your Lightning Arrow to deal some damage from the impact even if the electricity doesn't affect them much and Butterfree can probably clean up if he wants to battle. Pidgeot's for an emergency; we need to win today so we can move on to HopHopHop Town after visiting the Celadon Department Store. We can spend the night at that district's Pokémon Center."

Putting Dexter away and shrinking Pidgeot's Poké Ball to put it on his belt, Ash went through the automatic doors and nodded at the two security guards stationed near it inside the building. Once he reached the front desk, he rang the bell, prompting a redheaded teen to come out from the back.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

"I'm here to challenge the Gym Leader for a Rainbow Badge, please," Ash requested while Pikachu nodded from his shoulder.

"Ah, I'll call her in. Please wait right over there," she replied while gesturing to an area with some magazines on a table surrounded by a few armchairs.

As he walked over, he heard her pick up the phone and say, "Lady Erika? You have a challenger waiting here at the Gym."

The Pallet Trainer sat down and crossed his arms as he closed his eyes to ponder the strategy that he'd open up with.

'I'll start with Bellsprout since he's immune to powders and is also half-Poison-type, meaning that he'll be safe against moves like Toxic. He's also got Acid and is getting the hang of Swords Dance too, so he should be good for attacks.

'Hmm… Drowzee has teleportation, but he'd run out of spots to go to as more powders were shot around. Maybe Poison Gas could clear it out, but I'd want to test that first. Better go with Charmeleon next; he can burn powders away. But maybe I should look into having Bulbasaur teach Drowzee that blowing move… Huh. Never came up with a name for it. I'll call it Great Breath.'

Thinking over the various Gym Battles he'd had before, Ash remembered that the amount of Pokémon used to battle could vary as well. So far it seemed to be one or two to each side, but he would bet that three-on-three was common as well. If it was one-on-one, he would go straight to Pidgeot, if two-on-two, he'd start with Charmeleon.

He heard somebody approaching him and opened one eye to look, seeing a dark blue-haired woman dressed in a kimono with her hair done in an elaborate style.

"Are you Erika?" he asked, standing up.

She nodded, "I am, young man. You must be the challenger I heard about."

"I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town," the Trainer greeted.

"If you'll follow me, we can go to the arena," Erika replied.

"Hey, Ash!"

The two turned to look and saw Brock walking up with Misty close behind.

"Brock, Misty," he greeted.

"What happened?" the breeder asked. "I thought that you were going to scout out the Gym today and then train to challenge it tomorrow."

"Well, I heard about a tournament for Fighting Pokémon being held in Caesar Town in two days, and I don't want to miss it," he explained, making a mental note to explain about the Tech students later, once he was sure they were all alone.

"Ah, that would be out east of Celadon City," Erika informed Brock.

Ash smiled, "Past HopHopHop Town!"

"Hop…Hop…Hop Town?" Misty repeated incredulously. She looked at Erika, and the woman only nodded with her eyes closed in a resigned expression.

The Pewter Leader nodded, "All right, I guess that we can make it work. After all, I wanted to visit Caesar Town myself. Breeder's Lane is supposed to be there, and I've always wanted to visit it."

"Anyway, I'm glad to see you, but why are you here?" Ash asked.

"Oh, we followed Erika from the perfume shop," Misty explained. "She runs it."

"Huh, neat," the boy replied, not really deeming the matter as all that important. He turned to Erika, "Now, if you'll lead the way, ma'am?"

The Celadon Leader nodded and turned to lead the trio of Trainers into the Gym, past some expansive gardens. Employees also followed along, seeming excited to see Erika battle.

Once they reached the arena, Ash saw that the ceiling was primarily made of skylights, round objects in the middle probably serving as illumination at night. The arena was a standard dirt one with painted borders surrounding it and the Leader and Trainer boxes. As decoration, small groves were planted behind each side, trees and bushes brightening up the otherwise barren ground of the battlefield. Brock, Misty and the employees took their seats at a set of stands opposite of the entrance while Ash and Erika walked to each side.

"This battle will be three-on-three," the Celadon Leader announced. "Do you accept?"

"You bet," Ash replied as he turned his hat back. He took his first Poké Ball, expanding the sphere before throwing it out, "Bellsprout, I choose you!"

The Flower Pokémon materialized, standing firm as he readied for battle.

"Trying to play Grass/Poison-types' immunity to your advantage, then?" Erika asked as she pulled her own Poké Ball from inside her long sleeve. "Tangela, I choose you!"

The Pokémon that materialized with a screeching cry appeared to be obscured by a mass of blue vines tangled together, eyes visible from a hole inside with the features in shadows. Its only exposed parts were its feet, appearing pink with no split toes.

Ash took out his Pokédex, and analyzed it for any hints on its fighting style.

 ** _"Tangela, the Vine Pokémon. Its body is wrapped in vines. The rest of its form is unknown to this day."_**

"Not much to go on. Well, with all those vines, there'll be a lot of Vine Whips to counter," the Pallet Trainer muttered. "Bellsprout! Cut that Pokémon down to size with Razor Leaf!"

Ash's Pokémon swung his body back and forth, silently flinging a small barrage of giant leaves as they flew from his leaf hands. Tangela uncoiled five vines from her body and slapped each of the leaves away, hitting carefully on the flat sides to avoid the cutting edges.

"Hrm… If distance won't work, it's time to move in close! Swords Dance!" Ash called.

Bellsprout's leaves straightened and seemed to become rigid and sharp before he charged forward. Tangela reached to grab him, but his light weight and thin body allowed him to agilely maneuver through the grasping vines, cutting them as he span and leaped through. As he got closer, the Vine Pokémon was forced to retreat backwards, retracting her vines since they got damaged whenever she reached for him.

"Tangela, Take Down!" Erika commanded.

Her Pokémon charged forward abruptly and managed to catch Bellsprout by surprise, only taking a slight cut as he hastily attacked her back before getting tackled. The Flower Pokémon was knocked backwards and landed on his head before his roots touched down behind him, allowing him to stand up. He was visibly panting, though. Defense and taking hits were not his strong points.

"All right, that's close enough," Ash said. "Bellsprout, Wrap!"

Bellsprout's vines lashed outward and bound Tangela in an instant from how close he was to her before holding her aloft. The Vine Pokémon's entire camouflage seemed to be writhing as she struggled against his grip, feet kicking in the air.

"Now, turn them around and use Acid!"

Following his orders, Bellsprout turned Tangela around to avoid getting the corrosive liquid in her eyes and spat a blob of Acid at her back, causing the Vine Pokémon to cry out at the stinging liquid, particularly where she'd been cut before.

"Tangela, return!" Erika called while holding out her Poké Ball. She whispered comfortingly to the sphere before slipping it up her sleeve and pulling out a different one.

"Exceptional use of Bellsprout's unique moveset," she complimented. "But this next Pokémon won't be affected by his own line's Acid. Weepinbell, go!"

A yellow, bell-shaped Pokémon emerged, two large leaves on his sides with a brown stem sprouting from his head. The entire bottom of his body seemed to be his mouth, big pink lips bordering the red inside.

"Bell…" the new Pokémon greeted.

 ** _"Weepinbell, the Flycatcher Pokémon. The evolved form of Bellsprout. It spits out Poison Powder to immobilize its prey before enveloping and dissolving them with strong Acid produced in its hollow body."_**

"Must be a Grass/Poison-type too," Ash realized.

Erika commanded, "Weepinbell, Razor Leaf!"

The Flycatcher Pokémon spun around, releasing multiple small leaves from his big ones as they flew forward in a massive storm, "Beee-b-b-b-b-b-b-b!"

"Swords Dance and Acid!" Ash ordered. "Try to get in close enough to bind him with Wrap!"

Jumping and weaving through, Bellsprout cut or dissolved as many leaves as he could, but still took several hits. Even though they didn't have much effect, it was still several small wounds that piled up.

Once Ash saw that Bellsprout was tiring out in the flurry of sharp leaves, he held out his Poké Ball, "Bellsprout, return!"

The Flower Pokémon stood still long enough for the beam to connect, and Weepinbell stopped his attack as Ash exchanged the Poké Ball for another one.

"Charmeleon, go!"

The Flame Pokémon emerged with an eager grin, letting out a puff of smoke from his nostrils as Weepinbell began sweating nervously.

"Charmeleon, use Fire Spin," Ash commanded.

His Pokémon blew out a spiral of fire that wrapped around the ground close to Weepinbell before he could escape, flaring upward once the circle completed. After a few seconds, the column disappeared and the Flycatcher Pokémon was left on the ground with several superficial burns, still conscious, but clearly in no shape to battle as he let out a huff of exhaustion.

"Weepinbell, return, now!" Erika called in a concerned tone.

Meanwhile, Ash whispered, "Good job on holding back, Charmeleon. If you went all out against a Grass-type, it could wind up bad."

The Flame Pokémon nodded in reply, only having attacked with half-strength for precisely that reason.

On the sidelines, Brock commented, "Ash is doing really well. Most people have trouble with Grass-types."

"I've never seen Lady Erika on the defensive like this before," one of the employees added. "Usually her Pokémon keep challengers on their toes, but this one is countering them easily."

"Well, she hasn't called out her best Pokémon yet," another retorted.

Erika stood up again, her last Poké Ball in hand, "You're an exceptional Trainer, Ash. Your battle skills are great, and your Pokémon clearly look up to you. But I'm not going down without a fight. Prepare to meet my first Pokémon and closest companion. Gloom, go!"

A dark blue Pokémon with short limbs and squinted eyes appeared, possessing a flower and leaves on top of their head that matched the decoration on the roof of the Gym. A slight amount of drool escaped over their thin purple lips from the corner of their mouth, and they seemed very drowsy.

Regardless, it wouldn't be the first sleepy Pokémon he'd fought, so he pointed Dexter forward.

 ** _"Gloom, the Weed Pokémon. The evolved form of Oddish. Gloom gives off a very unpleasant aroma that can knock out most Pokémon with one sniff."_**

Charmeleon gritted his teeth at hearing that, not wanting to be defeated in such a shameful way. At that moment, Gloom leaned forward, pointing the flower on his head towards his opponent before spraying out a dull yellow cloud.

Snarling, the Fire-type breathed out a stream of fire that formed a high wall over the whole arena, preventing the scent from reaching him as it was incinerated in the flames.

"Good work, Charmeleon!" Ash praised. The Flame Pokémon seemed a bit stuck on how to aim a fire attack through the flames, away from the scent, but decided to burrow underground for a sneak attack.

Gloom had stopped spraying his scent and was waiting for the wall of fire to die down. It seemed it wouldn't be as simple as using his natural ability. While potent, his scent was still vulnerable to being dispersed or vaporized by wind and flame, respectively.

Erika was equally anxious, seeing that Ash's Charmeleon was cautious against Grass-types with the defense he instantly put up.

A red arm broke the surface of the arena on her side and clasped the edge of the new hole, prompting the Celadon Leader to call out, "Gloom, behind you!"

The Weed Pokémon turned as Charmeleon emerged an instant later and shot a Flamethrower. Gloom rolled to the side, feeling the heat but avoiding the flames themselves. He shot more of his scent at Charmeleon, and the Flame Pokémon's eyes widened before he shot another Fire Spin to make a new wall that blocked it.

Erika grew nervous as her view of Gloom was blocked and the Flame Pokémon ducked back into his tunnel.

As Charmeleon emerged again from the hole on Ash's side of the arena, the Pallet Trainer called, "All right, Charmeleon, hit 'em with Tail Whip and then drop the fire walls. You can always call up another one."

The Fire-type nodded and rushed forward, holding his breath and covering his nostrils with one hand before leaping through the wall of fire to spin and slam Gloom through the second one with a swing of his powerful tail. After that, he let the fire burn for a bit before taking a tentative sniff of the air and dropping the walls of flame once he deemed it safe.

Gloom was pulling himself back to his feet near the end of the ring and had some slight burns on his body from his trip through the fire.

"One last chance, Gloom," Erika stated. "Petal Dance!"

The opening in the center of Gloom's flower widened, and he span around as pink flower petals emerged from inside and began swirling around.

Charmeleon sighed and used another half-strength Flamethrower right as the floral projectiles shot forward, enveloping a majority of them and the still spinning Weed Pokémon. Some of them reached him, but he shrugged them off as they wrinkled up in proximity to the heat of his body. After a few seconds, he cut the Flamethrower off and Gloom was still spinning on one toe with scorched petals around him before he fell over in exhaustion, the burns on his body now more pronounced.

Erika rushed forward as fast as her formal dress allowed and she stooped down to check on Gloom. She sighed in relief when she saw that most of the injuries were minor and returned her Pokémon to his ball to recover.

She stood up again and nodded, "Congratulations, young man." Walking forward to meet him in the middle, the Celadon Leader reached into the opposite sleeve to the one she kept her Pokémon in. Ash called out Bellsprout again, and he stood alongside his Trainer with Charmeleon.

Erika held her hand forward, "In recognition of your victory, you've earned a Rainbow Badge." The badge appeared similar to a flower with an angular, gray center and eight petals of various bright colors surrounding it.

Ash accepted the badge with a smile and looked to his two Pokémon, "We did it! We got the Rainbow Badge!"

He held his free hand down and Charmeleon gave him a high five. Ash then turned the hand to Bellsprout, who stared for a moment before facing away slightly and extending a vine to tap Ash's palm. The Pallet Trainer still beamed at the stoic Pokémon, and Pikachu cheered for his team from his perch on Ash's shoulder.

Erika smiled, the happiness a little contagious as Ash's companions came forward as well. The Pallet Trainer had good empathy with his Pokémon, caring for them and being cared for in return. She didn't regret losing to him since she meant it when she'd called him an exceptional Trainer.

* * *

The leaders of Squad 13 gingerly moved about, two from still shaking off the aftereffects of Gengar's curse, and the last from Henry's insistence that he move about slowly so as to not strain himself. While ordinarily timid, the medic could be surprisingly stern when it came to someone's health.

If it were up to him, the trio would still be resting, but they had a call from the Boss, so they made their way down the stairs to the communicator in the hold.

Standing in front of the computer as straight as they could, Henry hit the button for them, moving aside as the image of Giovanni appeared onscreen.

"What can we do for ya, Boss?" Meowth asked, glad that his voice was one of the first things to come back fully.

"One of our fronts, the Celadon Game Corner was exposed and shut down two weeks ago," he explained, his voice deepened by the device to disguise it as usual. "I had bought a permit a while ago for a salon to be added to Caesar Town on Scissor Street, more commonly known as Breeder's Lane, for precisely this reason. Enough time should have passed to avoid suspicion of it opening.

"It's already fully stocked; you simply need to show up with the documentation of ownership and the key, both of which I'll send you. I want you to come up with a theme for it to stand out from the other salons and open it for business tomorrow. Tell me the theme and I'll send agents suited to the tasks to take over management of it."

He frowned, "Also, I suspect that an outside force was involved in tipping off the police. Agents meeting with those inside should always be disguised in uniform, so them being spotted shouldn't be an issue. Luckily the few field agents I had working full-time there were able to spring themselves and the rest of the staff out. They've gone back to active duty, and we're holding the civilian workers at HQ until the heat dies down so they can be released under new appearances and forged identities. Our cosmetic surgeons have altered their faces enough to where nobody should suspect a thing.

"The Game Corner was second only to the Celadon Department Store as a tourist attraction. It's a heavy loss. Keep an eye out for any customers that seem too observant, and be wary of talking about Team Rocket," Giovanni warned.

"Yes, Boss!" the trio replied.

From his position out of sight, Henry nodded slightly. A nice, easy task like the management of a salon was just what the doctor ordered while the trio recovered.

"Good, head to Caesar Town due east of Celadon City, and that should give you plenty of time before tomorrow to decide the store's theme."

"You can bet we'll make it a salon to remember," James promised.

* * *

Ash whistled as he looked up at the massive building that was the Celadon Department Store. It stood several stories high, not being the tallest building in Celadon, but by far the most spacious. Its exterior was rather plain, but it had colorful banners advertising the products they sold, along with strings of colorful flags hanging the corners to select light posts surrounding it.

"I can see why people would shop here," he commented. "It certainly looks big enough to have anything a Trainer could need."

Brock nodded, "Among other things. It's more of a general store than specializing in specific needs, but you should be able to find plenty of supplies, including a new backpack."

"Well, I'm going to go do some shopping of my own," Misty stated as she headed towards the entrance. "We can meet up at the Pokémon Center."

"Just a minute," Ash called, using his Pokédex to switch out Charmeleon for Rattata. Calling the Mouse Pokémon out, he asked, "Rattata, can you get Misty's scent in case we need to find her?"

For a moment, she seemed a bit unsure as she looked around at the city, but nodded and sniffed around Misty.

'Floral scent over her wrists and neck, dirt on her shoes, smell of the ocean on her hair – must've bathed recently – faded smell of anger. She used to smell like that all the time.'

Confident that she had Misty's particular scent down, Rattata nodded again to Ash.

"All right, have fun, Misty," Ash waved.

The redhead sent him a mildly annoyed look before leaving. After that, he asked Rattata, "Do you wanna walk with us? Haven't seen you in a while."

Rattata nodded, deciding to try discreetly getting some training in on being able to track scents. Last time, she'd stuck close to Ash. But at this point his scent was more familiar than any other to her, so she felt that she could track him if they got separated.

Pikachu hopped down from Ash's shoulder to walk alongside Rattata, "[So, how've you been?]"

"[I finally got Super Fang down a while back,]" she replied. "[Finally got angry enough and split a small boulder straight in half instead of just cracking it.]"

"[And the others?]"

Rattata smiled, "[Horsea's been starting some training of his own, improving the accuracy of his shooting. Horsea even figured out a concentrated ink attack to hit his opponents as well as cover them in the stuff. **(5)** He also got the Shell Bell since he was one of the few that didn't rely on speed or already have a healing move. Jigglypuff's still been training with Kingler, having learned Bubble Beam and moved on to Strength. I think the big guy is actually enjoying teaching his moves to her. Bulbasaur finished his own training with Mega Drain a while back, able to take what Butterfree had the chance to tell him before and figure out the rest for himself. On that note… how is he?]"

Pikachu's ears drooped slightly, "[Not much better, but he's making progress. He came out at night a couple of days ago to eat some food that Ash left out for him.]"

"[Every step counts,]" she agreed. "[Tentacool learned Ice Beam from one of the other Pokémon on the corral and is teaching anybody who wants to learn it. So far Squirtle's learned it, but Horsea is hesitant since it's an indisputably harmful move, unlike Water Gun and his ink attack.]"

Rattata shook her head, "[Primeape arriving at the corral was a big surprise. A fully evolved Pokémon being caught is pretty rare. He seemed interested in our fighting potential and Squirtle's been working with him to iron out his fighting style.]

"[Anyway, what's been going on since I was last around? Are there any new teammates besides Primeape?]"

Pikachu blinked as he realized all that had happened since Rattata was last there at the cliff that day. He let out a slight breath, "[Wait until you hear what happened when we got to Saffron City.]"

* * *

While Pikachu and Rattata walked beside him having their conversation, Ash wandered around, looking at the different sections on the first floor of the shop with Brock nearby as well. The area near the entrance had basic amenities like medicines, Poké Balls, snacks, drinks and other things one would find in a basic Pokémon market. As he moved further in with Brock nearby as well, he saw some clothes to his left with linens and other home items to his right.

Towards the back, he spotted a map next to a staircase leading upward. Ash moved a bit faster towards it and checked the various floor plans to see where he wanted to go.

"[He did _WHAT_?!]" Rattata's sudden shout caused him to turn back to his Pokémon. "[Isn't it your job to guard him? Why did you let him go back to that Gym if the one running it was so dangerous?!]"

Brock, seeing Ash reaching for another Poké Ball – probably Drowzee's – decided to give his friend some privacy, whispering that he'd meet him back at the Celadon Pokémon Center before they moved on to the east side of town.

"[He believed that we could help her, and we did,]" Pikachu resolutely replied. "[We've fought impossible odds time and time again, so I believed that he could get through to her. And for your information, I _did_ help protect him by 'missing' Kadabra when Sabrina had Ash by the throat with her powers. We've protected countless future Trainers by fixing the situation instead of avoiding it.]"

"[That… That's different than what we do with Team Rocket!]" Rattata protested. "[Team Rocket we can fight since they don't aim to kill. You're saying that this 'Sabrina' nearly _choked the life_ out of Ash?!]"

"Rattata."

She turned to Ash and saw that he had Drowzee out now, causing her to tilt her head since she hadn't heard about the Psychic-type yet. Pikachu knew, though, that his presence meant that Ash knew what they'd just been talking about.

Ash got down on one knee and patted the Mouse Pokémon on the head, "Listen, I appreciate your concern, but it was my choice to make. If I could've, I would've fixed the situation without putting anybody in danger, but sometimes doing the right thing comes with that. I knew that I might've been trapped forever, or even killed, but I wasn't."

"[But… we're supposed to protect you.]"

"There are some things that can't be battled, Rattata," he explained while retracting his hand. "You're right, Sabrina _was_ different from Team Rocket, but not because of how dangerous she was. She wasn't evil, just alone. If it were up to me, I would've gone alone to talk with her without battling, but that would've probably failed. Pikachu had the best chance of beating Kadabra, so he went with me and I trusted him to fight on his own while I tried reasoning with Sabrina. Besides, even if I _tried_ leaving him out of the danger, he'd just keep following me until I let him come along."

"[Got _that_ right,]" Pikachu huffed, offended by the very idea of being left behind while his Trainer risked his life.

Ash shot a brief smile to his first Pokémon when Drowzee translated, and then turned back to Rattata, "The plan was to win, and if Sabrina wasn't convinced that I wanted to be her friend, then I'd keep going back until she was. It was dangerous, life-risking, and probably pretty stupid, but it was the right thing to do. That's why I did it, and why Pikachu helped me."

Rattata stared back at him for a moment before nodding her acceptance, even if she didn't look completely supportive of the idea. In her mind, Pokémon fought and Trainers were protected from danger. The idea of a danger to him that she or someone else on the team couldn't defeat, or even fight, unsettled her.

As Ash continued looking at the map, his Pokégear rang. He tilted his wrist to look and saw that it was an unknown number.

"Huh, that's probably her," he noted, slipping the device off his wrist with a snap of the nylon strap before pressing the green button. He didn't want to put Sabrina on speaker since the Saffron Leader seemed nervous about other people so far.

"Hello?"

"Hi, I'm calling ahead for Sabrina," a gentle feminine voice asked from the other line.

It seemed familiar to him, and he replied, "Oh, you must be her mom, then. How is she?"

"Mostly the same as when you left," Sabrina's mother answered. "She agreed to seek some therapy while I temporarily ran the Gym in her stead, but wanted to talk to you first. At the same time, she was somewhat afraid that the number was a fake, so I volunteered to call and check."

"I wouldn't do that," Ash protested. "Is she there? Let me talk to her and show her that I'm on the other end."

"All right. Sabrina? Sabrina, he already guessed you're here, please just talk to him."

After a moment of waiting, Ash started going up the stairs holding his hand for Pikachu and Rattata to climb up to his shoulders while Drowzee followed along on the ground. The Trainer/camping goods department was on the third floor, above the grocery floor. Although he was also interested that there was a whole floor dedicated to Pokémon above that, curious about what they had to offer.

As he made his way up the steps, a new voice started speaking from the other end, "Hello?"

"Hi, Sabrina," Ash greeted with a smile, even though she couldn't see it. "Glad to hear from you."

"…You are?"

"Of course. I was serious when I said that I wanted to be your friend."

There was a bit of unclear speech from the other line, likely her mother, and Sabrina stiltedly asked, "H-how are you today?"

"I'm fine, thanks. I'm in Celadon City now, and I just managed to win the Rainbow Badge from the Gym," Ash replied. "After resupplying, we're going to stay in the eastern district's Pokémon Center before leaving tomorrow morning."

He briefly thought about cracking a joke about the name, but decided against it since he didn't want to make Sabrina feel more awkward if she didn't get it.

Sabrina seemed puzzled, "Are you always traveling around so much? Ah, sorry! I probably shouldn't judge-"

"Sabrina, it's fine," Ash reassured as he walked up the second flight of stairs. "Yeah, I mostly move from one town to another, never really staying in one for long. A Pokémon journey is about just that—the trip and the adventures while on it. There are a few places where I've stayed more than one day, for a festival or while waiting for the boat to the next town, but it's mostly the open road for me."

"That sounds… interesting," she hesitantly replied.

Ash chuckled, "It's rarely boring, I'll tell you that much."

"Haha… Well, I'm sure you're busy; I wouldn't want to interrupt," Sabrina said. "Bye."

"Feel free to call again another time," the Pallet Trainer replied.

"Th-thank you."

There was a click as the call ended. Ash put his Pokégear back on his wrist, climbing the last few steps to the third floor.

"See?" he asked Rattata, "Everything's fine between me and Sabrina now."

The Mouse Pokémon nodded, but wouldn't be forgetting that the Saffron Leader tried to kill Ash anytime soon.

* * *

Jessie and Meowth sat in Henry's room, commandeering the med bay for brainstorming on the salon's theme on the way to Caesar Town. James lay in his bed with his back supported against the wall with pillows, the heart monitor hooked up to him again, even though he felt he was out of danger. Henry had insisted, though, and was watching all three of them from his position leaned against the wall.

James had recommended a variety of accessories and articles of clothing to be sold along with the spa treatment and styling that Jessie had contributed to their pool of ideas.

Meowth, however, was still thinking over anything else since both his teammates had conceded that their ideas were normal fare, even if it was combined and offered for both Pokémon and their Trainers.

"We could advertise that da treatment heals while da accessories give power," he suggested.

James nodded from his reclined position, "Ah, yes. A rejuvenating spa treatment would work wonders to relax and invigorate a Pokémon."

"And we know very well that a little confidence can go a long way in fighting ability," Jessie added.

The trio nodded to each other before the female Officer glanced back at the nearby medic, "Henry, make a report to Matori highlighting the plan we have for Team Rocket's new salon. We'll call it the Stellar Spa and Boutique." With that said, she turned to James, "Once you're all better, we'll have our work cut out to make the star motif for the front."

"Ooh, I can see it now," he enthused with his eyes closed. "The name references both the quality and the theme. And we can start a whole line of trademarked gold star accessories: cuff links, brooches, even clip-on earrings for Pokémon with an even wider variety of silver star items for the Trainers." James opened his eyes again, "Brilliant idea, Jessie."

Jessie held her head high, "But of course. You're looking at a veteran of the fashion industry, both modeling and advising others on what looks good."

"I'll file the report," Henry said. "You and Meowth should get back to your rooms and get some rest. I'll bring yours and Burton's dinner later; Frank's cooking today."

"Oh," James called before he could leave, "could you retrieve something for me? It's a project I've been working on for a while now; it's wedged underneath my mattress. If I'm stuck here, I might as well have something to do."

Henry nodded and left, causing Jessie and Meowth to take a deep breath before moving to get up from the medic's bed. The former managed to keep her balance enough and start walking towards the door while the feline agent lost his balance and fell forward, having to walk on all fours to distribute his weight.

"Hn, still better than earlier," Meowth grumbled.

Jessie nodded, opening the door for him, "We're getting our strength back bit by bit. We should be at least at civilian level by tomorrow."

"Be sure to get a good night's sleep," James called after them with a wave.

* * *

Misty stood in front of two glass tanks on the fourth floor of the Celadon Department Store. While having several items that augmented a Pokémon's fighting ability, and even evolution stones, a section of the store in one of the corners had Pokémon for sale. She was in the aquatic section.

Ordinarily, Misty wouldn't ever consider outright buying a Pokémon since it would take away all the meaning of getting one. But desperate times called for desperate measures. She needed another Pokémon that could battle on land and add some variety. While Staryu and Starmie were growing stronger, there was only so much she could do with two Pokémon from the same evolutionary line.

One tank before her had a pudgy pink Pokémon that was taking a nap on a rock that stuck above the water inside his habitat. The sleeping Pokémon had curled ears and a cream-colored muzzle, a long tail curling up around their body with the white tip twitching slightly in their sleep. The card on the glass identified them as a Slowpoke and they were going for a relatively modest price considering how much Pokémon usually went for.

The other had a blue Pokémon that had noticed her and was watching her curiously from underwater with their blue-tinted, black eyes. They had four legs, making them look somewhat like a land Pokémon, but their ease of swimming showed their amphibious nature. Three cream-colored fins with dark blue bases decorated their head, two running along their cheeks and extending to the sides and one along his crown faced backward, while blue spines ran down their back all the way to their split tailfin. A white webbing-like ruff decorated their neck, and Misty would bet that was where the aquatic Pokémon's gills were, probably closing when on land.

This Pokémon was a Vaporeon, and Misty was instantly enamored with the cute Pokémon. But the price attached was enormous. Well over three times as much as Slowpoke was worth. She guessed that Vaporeon was a rare or popular Pokémon—maybe both.

As a Gym Leader, Misty received a salary from the Pokémon League, even if it was less than her sisters' right now since she wasn't an active Leader. If her memory was right, she _did_ have enough for Vaporeon in her account. But buying the Pokémon would leave her with only a small chunk of money left in her funds. Not that she had to worry too much on the road since Brock took care of buying and preparing food for the group. Still, being left with such a tiny amount would mean that she couldn't buy things for herself for a while.

'Ugh…' Misty pinched the bridge of her nose, 'This shouldn't be that hard of a decision! Ash risks his life at least once a month, and I can't decide whether or not to buy a Pokémon I need?'

Buying Slowpoke just wasn't an option in her mind since, while she considered herself fairly patient with Pokémon, she wasn't willing to bet that she'd stay that way for long with such a dim and apparently lazy one.

'Maybe Ash would,' she mused before sighing and taking a deep smell of the perfume on her wrist. The redhead would just have to make that one luxury last as long as she could since she wouldn't be able to really afford spending money carelessly in the near future.

* * *

Brock tested the weight of his new tool in his hands. It looked every bit like a D-handled shovel, aside from its entirely steel make-up and extendable/retractable shaft, but it had a flatter blade with a sharpened edge on one side and a point at the end. It was called an entrenching tool and made for fine camping equipment for digging fire pits, drowning them afterward, and chopping wood, in addition to folding to be used as a pickaxe. And for convenient storage it collapsed and folded over itself into a bundle that fit in both of Brock's hands.

More than that, it would make a decent tool of self-defense.

The breeder was no fool. He knew that the instant he truly antagonized Team Rocket, they would pull out all the stops to defeat him. Ash could afford to with how much he trained his Pokémon. They protected him and he had a full team at all times. But Brock only had three Pokémon, one of which was rather small. If he gave the Rocket trio the chance, they would take him hostage in a heartbeat.

Besides, while he had his survival knife he was under no illusions that he'd be good enough to avoid a Pokémon like Mankey charging him and knocking it out of his hand. A two-handed item wouldn't be so easy to disarm him of, though.

With the item picked out, he left to go pay for it so he could resupply on the grocery floor.

* * *

"All right, I have a new backpack, restocked on Pokémon food and got some extra supplies I couldn't keep before that'll be useful," Ash listed, holding three bags in his hands in addition to a larger green backpack with multiple compartments and some straps with clip hooks to fasten items to them, "and some goggles for when I'm flying with Pidgeot since the wind keeps getting in my eyes."

He had gotten sidetracked during his searching for a new backpack and got some ingredients and cooking supplies as well as other items he thought would be useful. While he was no expert chef, his mom had taught him some of her homemade recipes.

Drowzee was still out – along with Pikachu, of course – but Rattata had returned to her Poké Ball, saying that she needed to think.

"Am I forgetting anything?" he asked his two Pokémon.

Pikachu thoughtfully counted things off on his fingers before glancing at Ash's hat and getting an idea.

As the Electric-type spoke, Drowzee translated, _'He says you should probably get a string for your hat since you always need to hold onto it while moving fast. He's right; that means that it would just hang over your back from your neck if you needed move fast.'_

"Hm, you're right, Pikachu," he agreed. "Thanks, Drowzee."

The Hypnosis Pokémon smiled back, _'Glad to be of assistance.'_

"All right, let's go drop this off at the Pokémon Center and then come back," he decided. "Only have so many hands."

The empty backpack was lifted from his grasp, and Ash blinked as Drowzee slung it over his shoulders and then took one of the plastic bags into his hands.

 _'There, now we can save the extra trip.'_

"Thanks again," Ash replied with a nod. "Now, we should be able to find something like that for my hat in the clothes section on the first floor. Let's take the elevator this time."

* * *

 **Notes:**

 **1\. Remember that this is a Kanto book before you mention that Dark-types should be listed in it. And even so, there's still the problem of the invisibility.**

 **2\. I specify by electric means since Thunder Wave is a different way of paralysis from moves such as Stun Spore or Lick.**

 **3\. Remember that Ash and co. arrived at Celadon City a day later since Primeape didn't chase them there.**

 **4\. I read on Bulbapedia that, on the official American Pokémon website, Scissor Street was actually Caesar Town, so I combined the two with the town being named that and Scissor Street, or "Breeder's Lane" just being a district in said town.**

 **5\. This is Octazooka. Horsea can spit ink in canon, and Octazooka is an Egg Move for Horsea. See relevant review response in previous chapter for any questions about learning Egg Moves. Also, while the only other instances in the anime have it as a sort of beam attack, I'm ignoring that. It's ink in the games; it's ink in the manga—ergo, it's ink here.**

 **Also, while some might argue that Gloom would be a female Pokémon, the spots on his flower signify a male while females have a single larger spot on each petal. I know there were no genders in Gen I, but I'm adhering to that anyway.**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	31. Chapter 31: A Hop, Skip and Jump Away

**Review responses:**

 ** _Noctis Sol_** **: The idea just came to me since Pokémon are usually treated as pets. Plus, it's not the first time a Pokémon was bought in this story. Jessie's co-worker bought Ekans in a pet store before gifting her to the agent.**

 **Also, side note: I actually thought that you were making that title up, but I looked it up if only to confirm that there was _no way_ there could be a story called that. But there was, with that _exact name_ , no less. I'll give Pokéflute of Time a read before checking that story out.**

 ** _Snoozing Lurker_** **(Answered via PM):**

 **2\. After our debate, I've decided that bugs are A) resistant to hypnotic suggestion from how their minds are structured differently from other Pokémon and humans, B) hard to control entirely with Psychic because of their odd nervous system and muscle memory able to persist for a time even without their conscious thought, and C) have a slight resistance to all but direct hits on their exoskeletons from psychic energies.**

 **6\. Remember that Ash and co. would have to realize what the salon was. In addition, Jessie and James are only going to be there temporarily until Giovanni can get some grunts and/or civilian members of Team Rocket to take over. Squad 13 has more important things to do for the organization than raising money.**

 **7b. I thought that over and conceded that you were right. I went back and changed it to "well over three times what Slowpoke was worth."**

 ** _Raging Soul_** **(Answered via PM): Someone has, and I'll give the same answer: Not until later, if at all. Although, as an addendum, they're close as a team, so it's certainly not impossible.**

 ** _Fox McCloude_** **: I'm glad that you enjoyed that chapter. As for the rest, we'll see.**

 ** _BbK2442_** **(Answered via PM):**

 **2\. That it would since the "rival group" is barely more than a handful of kids at this point, even if they are Trainers. We'll see what Ash decides about the group over time. He just learned of it, and he doesn't know the first thing about running something like that. So far, Giselle is the de facto leader with Joe being her assistant.**

 **3\. Yeah, if she did go on one, it wouldn't be for at least a year. She's currently a bit skittish of crowds, and being by herself on the road doesn't appeal since she spent a majority of her life alone.**

 **4a. Like she said, desperate times call for desperate measures.**

 **4b. We shared a debate on this, and now you'll see.**

 **5\. Mm, it was _your_ suggestion. I figured if he could find it anywhere, it would be at the Celadon Department Store. And, being a reasonable individual, he realized that when push came to shove, Team Rocket could and would attack him directly.**

 ** _The Sinful_** **(Answered via PM): *Sigh* Yeah, I'm trying to work on that. It can get hard to juggle in enough screentime for all of them. I managed to work in a mention of Ash's entire team by having Rattata give a report on their progress, but that's still not much.**

 ** _Engineer1869_** **(Answered via PM): First off, Sabrina's mother is a psychic too. Less powerful than the other two members of her family, but still a psychic.**

 **Now, your questions:**

 **1\. He does regret that Team Rocket grows stronger with him, but he mainly doesn't puzzle over what could've gone differently and just tries his best with what he's given.**

 **2\. Not yet. I suppose for now their unofficial name can be the Rocket Resistance.**

 **3\. Giselle is the de facto leader, and the main protection of the group is their anonymity and secrecy in their meetings for now. I'm sure she'll come up with some way to protect any that are exposed, though. Plus, they have a benefactor. Who do you think gave them the microphone they snuck into the Game Corner?**

 **4\. Hmm… Not sure. Unlike Team Rocket, they are pursuing justice, so unless they become more vigilante about it, Giovanni can't report them to the police. Vigilante justice _is_ illegal, after all. But he'd probably find out who the leader is and send Proton to "behead" the resistance. More often than not, if you find out who's in charge, removing them makes the rest demoralized and unsure of what to do.**

 ** _BrightNova169_** **(Answered via PM):**

 **2a. Well, the case with the Hypno wasn't by Team Rocket, or even intentional on the Pokémon Lovers Club's part.**

 **2b. They are cautious in the extreme about not biting off more than they can chew and keeping their ragtag group a secret while it's still forming.**

 **4\. Well, given how juvenile and fixated on physical comedy the Tower Trio were, I would wager that they hadn't been around for very long in terms of a ghost's age. I mean, compared to the Gastly from Maiden's Peak, the three of them are practically toddlers. Granted, that particular ghost has likely been around for centuries, possibly even one or two millennia, but it's still a stark contrast.**

 **8\. Hmm… The former is definitely an option. At first I was going to say that other Trainers besides Ash keep their Pokémon at Professor Oak's but at this point, it's not so. After all, later on, before the Pokémon League, Professor Oak says that the other two Trainers that were sent out at the beginning quite being Pokémon Trainers. Though the latter would certainly be a dab of irony. I'll think about it.**

 ** _TheShadowOfZama_** **: Thank you, and I hope you continue to enjoy my story.**

 ** _BigZam_** **: Well, this story isn't for everyone. The competence doesn't fade, the TRio just learns, and they're extremely careful to not get captured. Life isn't always fair.**

 **Also, a leader like Giovanni would have contingencies in place to protect the civilian agents under his employ since he's promised them a new life with his organization. Field agents are repeatedly informed of the risks inherent in performing criminal activities and are trusted to either not be captured or to spring themselves out if they are.**

 ** _Darkstel_** **: Thanks for the fave and follow.**

 **On with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 31: A Hop, Skip and Jump Away

Ash made his way back to the Celadon Pokémon Center, his new backpack over his shoulders with both his new and old supplies packed inside and the old one held in his hand. There was still a little bit of room inside the larger one, so the Pallet Trainer felt that the chunk taken out of his savings for the new bag was money well spent. His binoculars and rebreather also hung on the outside by the clips on the side straps of the backpack for quick access.

There were only two other visible changes. One being that a synthetic leather cord ran through two new holes at the sides of his hat and hung over his chest, a drawstring clip allowing him to fasten it tighter or looser and the other being a pair of goggles that hung around his neck in case he needed to get ready to fly in a hurry. His walking stick was still in his hand, pressing into the ground before him on every other step since he was used to walking like that now.

Rattata was back out and Drowzee still walked alongside Ash with Pikachu on the Trainer's shoulder. The Mouse Pokémon was accustoming herself to the city, trying to pick out the different scents with her nose.

She could smell Ash's familiar scent behind her, along with her teammates'. Pikachu's odor was reminiscent of an imminent thunderstorm with the Pallet boy's smell attached from constantly being at his side and some other mixed scent of apples and oranges acting as a mask. Drowzee's mellower aroma smelled somewhat like heavy fog, soap and a hint of grass, likely from a recent bath and his old habitat; he _was_ a fairly new addition, after all.

Even though she knew that they were headed to meet with Ash's companions, she still subtly sniffed the air, trying to pick out Misty's scent from the multiple overlapping sources.

'Garbage, food from that building, random person, more garbage,' Rattata wrinkled her nose slightly at having to smell that, but pressed on. 'Scent of flowers… Wait.' She took a deeper whiff and found traces of Misty's ocean-scented soap mixed in. 'Found it. We're on her trail now.'

But they passed by it as they kept going and eventually turned to the Pokémon Center. Rattata looked up confusedly at the building and then glanced back at where she'd smelled Misty.

Ash walked inside and spotted Brock, but not Misty. Regardless, he walked over and greeted the breeder, "Hey, Brock. You find anything interesting in the department store?"

"A new tool, but it looks like you found it much more useful than me," Brock replied, looking at the new items Ash had.

The Pallet Trainer chuckled, "Yeah, it was a big help. I got some goggles, a magnifying glass, a lighter, a mirror-"

"A mirror? Never took you for the vain type," Brock asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Never know when you might need one," Ash shrugged. "Anyway, I also got some rice and a few dried ingredients along with cooking supplies."

"You can cook?"

"My mom taught me some of what she knows," he answered. "She runs a diner, and her cooking is amazing. Hopefully some of that rubbed off on me from the times I helped her at home."

Brock nodded, "Well, that'll help keep us supplied on our trips."

"Anyway, where's Misty?" Ash asked. "I figured I'd be done last since I kind of took a long time searching the store, and I never bumped into her."

"I don't know," the breeder confessed.

"Hmm… Rattata," he called, getting the mouse's attention. "Did you happen to catch Misty's scent on the way back? We really oughta find her so that we can get moving."

Rattata nodded and lifted a front leg while pointing out the door with her nose before glancing back at him.

Ash nodded and got up, "Drowzee, it'd probably be better if you waited in your Poké Ball."

 _'True, I probably can't move as fast as you and Rattata,'_ the psychic conceded before his Trainer returned him.

He then turned to Brock, "Can you wait here in case Misty makes her way back here?"

"Sure," Brock agreed.

"Lead the way, Rattata," Ash urged while following his Pokémon outside with Pikachu still on his shoulder.

* * *

Misty looked around, trying to spot the current target of her ire as she held a now empty Poké Ball. She'd just wanted to make a good first impression by allowing Vaporeon to walk with her back to the Pokémon Center. But the Water-type had stared at her for a moment before sticking out its tongue and running away during the moment of surprise.

She'd chased him through the streets, always being a few steps behind as she spotted Vaporeon snickering at her, sometimes intentionally knocking over garbage cans to get her attention so he could taunt her and keep running.

Stepping past a puddle, she was about to move on when she stopped.

"A puddle? On a bright and sunny day?" The redhead whipped around in time to see Vaporeon emerging from the puddle, taking all of the water with him as it reformed into the rear half of his body, leaving the pothole he'd been hiding in only slightly wet.

"Vaporeon, return!"

The Water-type dodged the beam with a nimble leap and carelessly flicked some water off the end of his reformed tail in her direction before taking off again.

"Get _back_ here!" Misty ordered as she took off after him again.

Vaporeon looked back with a smirk at the pursuing redhead and looked forward in time to see another human, a boy appearing right in his path with a Rattata leading the way. Seeing an opportunity for more mischief, he put on his best scared face and hid behind the other human's legs.

"Huh?"

"Ash!" Misty called while stopping a short distance away to avoid Vaporeon fleeing again.

He looked up, "Misty?"

"[Help! That strange girl is trying to take me away!]" the Water-type cried fearfully.

Ash looked down at the scared tone, and then looked back at Misty with her Poké Ball before glancing at Pikachu, who met his gaze, appearing to have drawn the same conclusion.

"Thunder Wave," the Trainer commanded.

Vaporeon inwardly chuckled at the thought of Misty getting paralyzed by someone she knew, but gave a startled yelp when five thin streams of electricity hit him on the top of his back. Falling over at the numbing sensation as electricity buzzed over his skin, the Water-type looked up to see Pikachu with his hand and extended fingers pointed at him from his perch on Ash's shoulder, the Electric-type's face set in a slight scowl.

"[What?!]" Vaporeon indignantly shouted as Ash's Pokémon turned away from him to face forward again. "[Why'd you zap me?]"

"I don't usually shoot first, but I don't like being tricked," Ash casually informed, answering the question unintentionally as Vaporeon was slumped on the ground, struggling to get up. Even dissolving into water wouldn't help much, exposed as he was with electricity coursing through him.

Misty was stunned that Ash had attacked Vaporeon, figuring that he'd believe the Water-type's act. He took out his Pokédex while stepping away from the Vaporeon to identify him.

 ** _"Vaporeon, the Bubble Jet Pokémon. An evolved form of Eevee. Vaporeon love fresh, clean water and can make their bodies melt away into water as well."_**

"Hm, interesting." Ash turned to Misty, "This one's yours, Misty?"

"Uh, yeah, I just bought him at the department store," she explained hesitantly. "He ran off the instant I released him to walk with me and I've been chasing him for a while."

The Pallet Trainer nodded and Misty returned the Bubble Jet Pokémon. After a brief pause, she felt compelled to ask, "Ash, why did you immediately side with me?"

"Because, believe it or not, I _do_ know you, Misty," he replied. "You're not exactly the easiest person to get along with, but you've never attacked a Pokémon except for two reasons."

Ash counted them off on his fingers, "One, you wanted to catch 'em, which you would've told me by calling dibs. Or two, they did something to you first, which can mean either wild or a Trainer's, but you chasing it with a Poké Ball probably meant it was yours if you didn't tell me to keep from catching it myself. If this is your Pokémon and you're chasing them, that means they must've been messing with you and tried to turn me against you."

Misty was briefly stunned at the thorough analysis of her habits and the reasonable deduction Ash had made before looking away slightly as she put the Poké Ball in her backpack, "Well, thanks, but I need to keep my own Pokémon in line."

"No problem," the Pallet Trainer answered easily while turning around. "Now, come on, we should meet up with Brock before leaving for HopHopHop Town."

The redhead groaned as she followed, "Do you _have_ to call it that _every_ time?"

"Yes," he nodded with an amused smile. "Yes I do."

Once they met up with Brock again, they made their way to the eastern district of Celadon City, planning to stay there the night before making the trip to Caesar Town tomorrow. Ash didn't want to seem in a hurry since he could never be sure when the Rocket trio he knew could be listening, or any other agent that happened to be working an innocent job.

He decided to explain about the resistance Vincent and his friends had formed around lunch tomorrow since all their Pokémon would have an excuse to be out and Brock's Zubat would be able to hear anybody nearby.

* * *

Mitchell checked his watch, letting out a sigh of relief as he tended to one of the many flower beds in Celadon Central Park, "Almost quittin' time."

All of the flowers he and his coworkers had been charged to replace had already taken full root and would be good until they were changed in spring, with the proper care. The leaves were also starting to change color with the season.

'Though that'll be a whole other can of Weedles, rakin' all those leaves once they start falling.'

Since Dugtrio did more harm than good by burrowing holes in the grass, Mitchell had him burrow further underground to take care of any parasites or rot attacking the roots of the trees and plants. Tri-Attack worked well enough to destroy any roots that were past saving after cutting them away from the main body with Slash as well as incinerating and/or freezing the consuming bugs and decay. In the case of the former, all that remained was to break apart the bad roots with his claws and hit them with another Tri-Attack before clearing the fragments out and filling the new space with dirt.

As a bonus, the conman had Dugtrio scouring the park for any objects buried. Lots of people buried objects to hide or get rid of them, and a giant park like the one he was working in was perfect for doing so. Mitchell himself had done a lot of scouring in the dead of night at Celadon City's junkyard to see if he could find anything worth selling. So far, neither of them had found anything worthwhile, but he knew that patience could reward him with a few hidden gems. It was amazing what people could throw away sometimes.

With the mindless work of pulling the weeds out, he mused over recent events. He had honestly expected Team Rocket to be in such a big city like Celadon, but was counting on being unnoticeable as one of many groundskeepers.

Learning that they ran such a high profile location like the Game Corner was somewhat more unsettling, though. He was glad that it was shut down since that meant that he was less likely to be spotted with the police on high alert for any other Rocket operations. He may have participated in some less than legitimate operations, but he had an official Pokémon license, a paper trail, and a clean record. After all, you only got marked as a criminal if you were caught. No proof, no black mark. His generic appearance helped in that regard.

As he picked out a few more of the encroaching plants, a bulge in the earth started sprouting before one of Dugtrio's heads popped up.

"Huh? Dugtrio? What's-"

The Pokémon looked around and spotted a larger spot bare of flowers. The other two heads then came up with a shoebox sealed shut with duct tape held between them. It was always interesting to see Dugtrio cooperating among their three bodies.

Most thought that Dugtrio were simply three Digletts, but it didn't work that way. During evolution, the Diglett actually multiplied and kept a mental link with the new bodies. They could see through each other's eyes, constantly shared thoughts and moved in perfect synchronization thanks to the connection. The trio of Mole Pokémon _could_ operate separately from each other, but hated to be separated for long periods of time. Mitchell wasn't sure if that was a trait of all Dugtrio or just his in particular.

"Ah, you found something?" the man asked as he accepted the package. Looking at the top, there was a message written across the box in red marker, saying "Warning: Do not open."

"Welp, sounds like an invitation to _me_ ," he remarked before turning to the body of Dugtrio closest to him. "Open 'er up with Slash."

For the briefest of instants, there was a blur of motion as he sliced through the adhesive material and cardboard with his claws, retracting the tiny hand immediately afterwards.

Tearing the new gashes open further, Mitchell rummaged around inside, disappointed to find the box mostly empty. But his hand brushed against something, causing him to grab it, finding the object to be small and round. Feeling a familiar button, his brow furrowed as he clicked it, feeling the item expand in his hand.

"Aww… A Pokémon?" he muttered, withdrawing his hand to find the expanded sphere in it. "Go figure, the one thing I _don't_ deal in."

The main reasons he didn't were, one, Team Rocket was top dog in that department and he didn't want to risk drawing their attention, and two, no matter how much rare Pokémon might pay out with the right buyer, he wouldn't feel comfortable looking Dugtrio in the eye if he caught Pokémon to sell them or, even worse, took Pokémon from another Trainer and broke a bond similar to theirs.

'Sure, I could just keep it, but Dugtrio's the only Pokémon I really need since I'm not a competitive battler.' Then, after finishing with his musing, he blinked while turning the Poké Ball in his hand, "Shouldn't this one have let itself out by now if it was boxed?"

Frowning in thought, he went to the white underside of the sphere and moved a panel at the bottom aside to reveal a switch with "LOCK" engraved in small print over it toggled into the on position. **(1)**

'Bastard,' the groundskeeper cursed the ball's former owner. 'Locking the ball and leaving it instead of manning up and dealing with the problem or releasing the Pokémon right out.'

He flicked the switch to unseal the ball and expected the Pokémon to release itself at any moment. When it remained motionless, his eyes widened.

"…Shit."

Mitchell took off running to the nearest Pokémon Center. Dugtrio burrowed back underground and closed the holes in the soil before following his Trainer by the feel of his footsteps vibrating through the earth.

* * *

Ash and company arrived at the Pokémon Center in HopHopHop Town somewhat late in the afternoon. Once they'd arrived, Misty said that she heard about a giant park with a good pond nearby, so she was off to go train her Pokémon, Vaporeon aside.

After she left, Brock stared at Nurse Joy from afar with a slight blush on his face.

The Pallet Trainer raised an eyebrow, "Brock, even if you got together with Nurse Joy, how could you tell the difference between her and her family?"

"What?" Brock asked in genuine confusion. "What're you talking about? Each and every Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny have their own unique traits that set them apart from each other."

Blinking in puzzlement, Ash and Pikachu looked at Nurse Joy as she worked behind the counter, "She… looks the same as all the others to me."

"Ah, Ash, maybe you'll understand when you're older," the breeder fondly stated while putting an arm around his friend's shoulders, mindful of Pikachu. "A man learns to appreciate the more subtle traits of a woman. If you look closely, you'll see that this Nurse Joy has slightly more curled eyelashes than the others. Meanwhile, the Pewter City Nurse Joy has bangs that are three-quarters of an inch shorter than average, unlike the Vermillion City Joy's which are half an inch longer. There are tiny differences in their wardrobe as well, and in eye color for those who know the shades of blue, from cerulean to cobalt."

Brock patted him on the shoulder, "I could go into the differences of each Officer Jenny, but I won't ramble on."

"Psy…" a nasally voice suddenly spoke up from in front of them.

The duo looked down and saw a bipedal duck with a large body and bill that came up to a little above Ash's knee in height. Their smooth plumage was yellow all over with only their beige webbed feet and bill uncovered by the feathers. Three black hairs sprouted from the top of their head, which was held between their hands. The two appendages had three finger-like digits with slightly sharp points, much like Pikachu's fingers save for the missing thumb. Their round eyes seemed to stare straight ahead instead of up at them, even though the Pokémon had approached them.

"Hello," Ash greeted as Brock released him, taking out his Pokédex. "Who are you?"

 ** _"Psyduck, the Duck Pokémon. Psyduck suffers frequent headaches and can exhibit mysterious attacks when they become especially intense."_** **(2)**

"Nurse Joy," the Pewter Leader called. "Does this Psyduck belong to anyone?"

The nurse looked up and saw the Pokémon in question before shaking her head, "No, I found him wandering around here during the incident with the Pokémon Lovers Club's hypnosis waves. He's been experiencing a constant headache instead of the recurring sort, and I thought that once the waves were stopped, he'd go back to normal like the other Pokémon. But he didn't, so he's still around here. He wanders around sometimes."

Ash looked at Nurse Joy during the explanation, and then squatted down to look Psyduck in the eye. "Hmm…" He held up a finger before the Duck Pokémon and moved it back and forth, but his eyes didn't follow it. With the glazed over expression, he couldn't tell whether the Water-type was even looking at him or lost in thought.

"Psyyy…" the Pokémon eventually responded in a dazed mutter.

Pikachu looked at the Pokémon sadly and then got Ash's attention before communicating his message.

He knocked against his head, "[He seems to be in pain from the headache.]" The Electric-type clutched his head and made some groans of pain for effect, "[You know: 'Owwww…!']"

The Trainer's brow furrowed in concern and he called out Drowzee, "Let's see if we can do something about that headache, then."

Nurse Joy held out a hand, "Sir, I must ask that you take Psyduck outside the city if you plan to use Hypnosis."

"I'm not going to," he answered, turning to Drowzee. "You can read minds right? See if you can find a problem with Psyduck's psychic powers?"

 _'I can try,'_ Drowzee answered with a nod.

But when he reached a hand towards Psyduck, the Duck Pokémon shook his head with eyes shut tightly, "[Don't, don't, don't!]"

Ash's Pokémon retracted his hand, seeming equally concerned now. He did a cursory read instead of a deeper scan and found Psyduck's mind to be locked up tight, his own powers turned inward. His eyes widened in surprise when he sensed the pressure from all the built up power, but anything deeper was sealed away tightly behind a wall of mental barriers. If that was only the power leaking out from the iron containment, Drowzee wasn't sure he wanted to see what sort of powers Psyduck could employ if he let it all go.

 _'Goodness,'_ he marveled, communicating to Ash again. _'That's the most thorough mental defense I've ever seen, myself included. I don't think I could hypnotize this Pokémon if I tried.'_

"Do you know any way to help him, though?"

 _'Well… my first suggestion would be releasing all of the pent up power, but I don't think there should be anything or anybody nearby when he does so. In fact, that may have been why- Oh dear!'_

Psyduck was still standing in the same position as before with the same blank expression, but now tears were starting to build up.

Drowzee waved his hands, "[I am so sorry! I didn't know that you could hear that.]"

"Hey," Ash whispered comfortingly, reaching for Psyduck's head before pausing and wrapping his arm around the Water-type's back to pull him in for a hug. Psyduck still had his hands clutching his head as Ash tried to calm him. "Come on, it'll be okay. Listen, I think I know-"

The chime of the doors opening and rushing footsteps cut off his statement and he still held Psyduck while looking up to see a tanned man with brown hair running to the counter, his rubber soled shoes making muted thud sounds on the tile as he held a Poké Ball.

"Joy, there's a Pokémon in here, and I think it's in rough shape," he reported, handing the ball over. "It was buried in a small box."

Nurse Joy gasped and called a Chansey over with a stretcher and released the Pokémon onto it.

Ash watched as a dark blue bipedal Pokémon with a red feather sprouting from their left ear, along with three from their rear, appeared. Two sharp claws adorned each hand and foot, and the Pokémon had a feline face. The Pokémon was still breathing, thankfully, but it was barely a shallow breath, and the Pokémon seemed unhealthily skinny.

The Chansey rushed the unknown Pokémon to the back with Joy following.

Ash stood up, hefting Psyduck with one arm as he walked to the groundskeeper, "Hey. That was a good thing you did."

"Poké Balls make a little air go a long way, but I didn't know how long it'd been buried or if it would recover if I left it alone out of the box I found it in. I did what I had to, and that's it. I got enough mouths to feed on my salary," he dismissed while turning around with a departing wave. "If the Pokémon pulls through, you can have it; ya look like a decent enough Trainer. Bye."

The Pallet Trainer frowned slightly at the apathetic attitude, but turned back to Drowzee while setting Psyduck down again.

"As I was saying, I think I can take you somewhere to safely release all of that backed up power," Ash told Psyduck.

 _'Ah, yes…'_ Drowzee mused. _'My old habitat should be good since it's mainly grassland. I'll need to send a telepathic signal to get the inhabitants to clear out, but it could work. The grass will grow back eventually.'_

The Duck Pokémon's expression changed slightly, appearing conflicted.

The Pallet Trainer kneeled down again, "Listen, I don't know what happened, but you shouldn't put this kind of pain on yourself because of it. You regret it, and I don't think you'll do it again. Don't let yourself be scared of your powers."

"[You can learn to control them,]" Pikachu added. "[I think it's not just about locking them up. You want them to fade from not using them, don't you?]"

Psyduck's expression went back to his standard blank expression, and he nodded after a few seconds.

"[Even if that worked, what would you do if you needed to protect yourself, or someone close to you?]" the Electric-type asked. "[You may not be able to change the past, but you can work to handle your powers better and make sure it never happens again.]"

Drowzee had been translating, and Ash nodded in agreement after Pikachu finished.

Psyduck stared at them for a moment, the glazed look momentarily lifting as he looked down in thought with half-lidded eyes. Not looking up, he took a few steps forward to be right near Ash.

"All right, then," the Pallet Trainer replied, putting a hand on the Duck Pokémon's back. "Drowzee?"

The Psychic-type grabbed Ash's free hand and envisioned the patch of cut grass where he'd joined his Trainer. He and his team vanished a moment later after turning to light.

Brock had been watching, knowing that he didn't really have a place in the conversation, both from not understanding the Pokémon speech and it being a matter between Ash and Psyduck. Once they left, he decided to find a place to practice fighting with his new tool. Sitting around made him feel unproductive with his two companions working to train and help Pokémon, respectively.

* * *

To Ash, everything had gone white as was usual for teleportation and he wound up in a familiar spot, still kneeling with a hand on Psyduck. The grass had only barely started to grow again from when Pidgeot had cut it down.

 _'I'll extend my senses to see if there are any Pokémon nearby, and warn them away if there are,'_ Drowzee informed Ash and Psyduck as he sat down with his legs crossed in meditation, closing his eyes.

Ash noticed that Psyduck started trembling and whispered, "Listen, it'll be fine. Nobody's going to get hurt, and we're going to watch from far away to make sure nothing bad happens to you." He indicated his binoculars as he finished speaking.

 _'All clear,'_ Drowzee announced while standing up again. He turned to Psyduck, _'We'll be right over if it looks like there's trouble.'_

Psyduck took a shuddering breath and nodded.

Ash stood up and Drowzee stepped beside the Trainer to grab his hand.

"Good luck, Psyduck."

Another flash of white to the boy from Pallet's vision and he found himself among some trees that he recognized from the west side of Saffron. Wasting no time, he climbed up one as fast as he could while Drowzee teleported to stand on one of the branches and pointed in the direction that Psyduck was in.

Taking his binoculars, Ash looked and saw a yellow shape that looked vaguely like Psyduck. Even with the binoculars, it was hard to tell at first with how far away they were.

The Duck Pokémon seemed to look back and forth while still trembling and then hunched over as a blue glow surrounded his body.

 _'Goodness…'_ Drowzee awed. _'He was holding THAT back this entire time? I mean, it may have built up from the pressure, but it's like looking into the sun.'_

The aura suddenly became a blue sphere of light that eclipsed the Water-type's body before beginning to swell. Ash lowered his binoculars as a twinkle of light became visible without the need for magnifying. That twinkle blinked before swelling to appear as large as a grape from Ash's perspective before it detonated outward in a half-sphere, vaporizing grass in its wake.

Drowzee felt Psyduck's power dropping as he released the built up energy, it seemed more like a furnace now instead of the blinding power it had. In the privacy of his own mind, he wondered how strong he could become with training if all of that was natural. He felt slight envy for the Water-type's natural talent in light of him having to struggle for his telekinesis to have gotten where it was. Still, the bad feelings were tempered by the fact that Drowzee had higher understanding of the nonaggressive mental arts such as teleportation and telepathy.

The light faded and Ash looked through his binoculars again to see Psyduck panting, hands hung limp in front of him as he was still hunched over. A giant circle of earth was stripped of its grass, only minute spots of green remaining where the blades had stood.

"Drowzee?" he asked while hooking the binoculars back to his bag. "Can you teleport us back over?"

The Hypnosis Pokémon nodded and put a hand on Ash's forearm before teleporting them both along with Pikachu on his Trainer's shoulder.

Another flash of light before the boy reappeared above the now barren patch of ground, having to reorient his legs for the landing since he'd been hanging off a branch earlier. His backpack pulled him backwards, but he managed to regain his balance after flailing his arms for a bit.

* * *

Sabrina's eyes shut again, the glow fading as her power receded. Both she and her mom had sensed the buildup of psychic energy before it detonated, the rest of the Gym's inhabitants sensing the explosion, but only she had the ability to remote view the disturbance.

"It's a Psyduck," she stated once her eyes opened again. "Ash is there too."

Jeryl raised an eyebrow, _'Does he appear to have the situation in hand?'_

"From how the power seemed to diminish after the explosion, it must've been a case of backed up power," the current Gym Leader theorized.

"You think so, mom?" Sabrina asked, having never heard of such a thing.

"When you were a baby, you didn't have control of your powers yet, but needed a safe way to release them, otherwise they could lash out randomly under stress," she explained. "Your father and I taught you how to bounce a ball using telekinesis, a simple exercise."

"Oh…" The teen cleared her throat, "Well, it seems like everything's under control. Jeryl, if you'd let everybody know?"

 _'Of course, Sabrina_ , _'_ he agreed.

* * *

When Ash had reoriented himself, he moved over to Psyduck, Pikachu hopping down to be alongside him.

"Did that help?" he asked. "Are you feeling better?"

"Psy-ay…" the Duck Pokémon nodded wearily.

Ash patted him on the back, "Let's get you back to the Pokémon Center for some rest. You can decide where you wanna go from here after some sleep."

Once Pikachu was back on Ash, Drowzee put his hand on Psyduck's other shoulder and teleported the group away.

* * *

Misty walked through the park with some aqua-colored Pokémon Flash Cards in her hands. She held three fanned out before her in one hand with the rest of the small stack in the other.

While she had studied about Water Pokémon extensively at Cerulean Gym before she became a Leader, it had been years since she'd attended a lecture. Since she couldn't remember any more moves that they could learn, Misty had visited a store to buy the cards.

The redhead probably could've asked Ash for the information in them with his Pokédex, but her pride wouldn't allow it. Plus, even with her currently tight budget, buying a Water Pokémon set of the cards was affordable enough due to the smaller amount of cards compared to the full collection.

Deciding on her course of action, Misty nodded and slipped the cards with Staryu, Starmie and Goldeen's information back together before putting them on the top of the deck before fixing the cards together with an extra hair tie and placing the stack in her backpack to exchange it for her notepad and pen.

Flipping it to start from the back, she opened it to information about her Pokémon. Cross-referencing what she read with what she vaguely remembered from her studies, she scratched out moves that Starmie couldn't learn without having learned them as a Staryu and wrote in a new training plan before she filled in more moves that Staryu and Goldeen could learn. Reluctantly, she put Vaporeon on the page as well, making a note that his presence was tentative.

Misty sighed, having never dealt with a disobedient Pokémon. All three of her current Pokémon grew up with her at Cerulean Gym. Misty's parents had abandoned the Gym and their family, and her sisters rarely looked after her, whether busy with the Gym, their water shows or themselves. As a result, she'd grown really close with the Pokémon in the Gym, her own three the ones she'd spent the most time with.

Goldeen helped teach her how to swim, making sure to pick her up and take her back to the edge of the pool when she tired out, and they played in the pool together for many years to come. Staryu's enthusiasm for everything in life seemed to rub off on her as they got in and out of trouble around Cerulean City, only to be scolded by Starmie – another Staryu at the time – who acted the part of the guardian. Even if she couldn't understand her, she could tell when she was being chastised for her actions. And after she evolved into Starmie, the Mysterious Pokémon could change the color of her gem to one of seven colors to convey the message she wanted to pass, red being the default.

Her cooking skills weren't anything to write home about either during those years. The redhead's taste buds had taken a beating from her always mixing up the spices or adding too much, but she figured it out well enough and could prepare canned or frozen food easily. It gave her a high tolerance for subpar food, but a dislike of cooking.

Arriving at the pond in the heart of the park, she took out all four of her Poké Balls before releasing Goldeen into the water. Setting the others aside, she whispered some orders to the Goldfish Pokémon. After she confirmed her Trainer's orders, Misty opened Vaporeon's Poké Ball again.

The paralysis was less severe, but the Bubble Jet Pokémon still seemed a little sluggish as he looked up at Misty.

The redhead took out a Paralyze Heal. As a Water Pokémon Trainer, she always had some on hand in case of electric attacks, even though Stun Spore was ineffective with water. Vaporeon glanced at it and then back at her.

"I'm going to heal you now," she calmly stated. "But I don't want a repeat of earlier today. Things can go a lot smoother if you cooperate, understand?"

Vaporeon nodded his head, and Misty sprayed the medicine over him. Shaking himself clear as he regained his movement, the Water-type looked up at her for a moment before smirking and running off.

Misty simply folded her hands behind her back with the medicine still held and said, "Goldeen?"

The Bubble Jet Pokémon suddenly lurched to a stop, getting picked up and yanked through the air back to the redhead's side, rolling along the ground as he was dropped.

"I'm disappointed, but not surprised," Misty stated.

Vaporeon looked at Goldeen, who stared at him coolly, and tried running again only to get picked up higher, legs still flailing before he was forcibly deposited before Misty again, this time in a seated position. Jerking his head to Goldeen, he barely caught a light blue glow fading from the fish's eyes.

"Yeah, see, I figured that since you can dissolve into water, you must have similar properties," the Cerulean Leader explained. "You're basically a walking, talking body of water, in fact. Surf controls water. Can you see where I'm going with this?"

Vaporeon stared at her in disbelief for a second before his eyes darted to the pond beside them. Jumping, he turned to a stream of water during his flight and splashed into the larger body. As he maneuvered himself through, he felt the pull again, for him in particular. His form wound up splashed against the dirt, and he took his normal shape again with little choice for anything else.

"Similar, but not the same," Misty continued. "You don't absorb into dirt or anything, so your body must be connected somehow so that you don't disperse. Goldeen can tell the difference. Now that I have your attention, are we going to do some training?"

The Bubble Jet Pokémon narrowed his eyes at her in response, but didn't say anything since it wouldn't be understood anyway.

She sighed, "I don't know if you have a problem with me, girls, redheads, Trainers in general, or if you just get your kicks from messing with people, but I need you to battle. If you're going to make each training session a struggle, then fine. _I_ can be stubborn too, and I blew most of my savings on buying you. I'm gonna get _something_ out of you, even if it's not friendship or respect."

Vaporeon glared at her and Misty glared right back. Eventually, the Bubble Jet Pokémon turned his head away and closed his eyes with a petulant huff.

"Going to act like a spoiled brat, now?" Misty asked while holding out his Poké Ball. "Fine. Return."

As she put his ball back in the bag, she thought, 'Didn't expect to get through to him on the first day, but at least he knows that running away won't be an option. Now I need to try winning him over. That'll be pretty hard if I need to keep such a tight leash on him. Ash always makes it look so easy to befriend Pokémon. The only one he had _any_ trouble from was Primeape, and that got settled with a slugfest between him and Charmeleon.'

Although the difficulty with Vaporeon gave her a new appreciation for the Pokémon that she had, always being there for her.

"Thanks for the help, Goldeen," Misty said in response to that vein of thought. She picked up Staryu and Starmie's Poké Balls along with her notepad, "Now let's get some training done!"

Once they were called out, Misty shrunk the Poké Balls and used the freed fingers to flip through her notepad.

She turned to Starmie first, "Starmie, you're half Psychic-type. You can already fly thanks to that. Seeing the kind of things Sabrina pulled off, that's probably it now that I think about it. You and Staryu have it as a sort of ability since you both have psychic potential. I've already taught you Ice Beam and Thunderbolt, let's try building on your natural abilities now. Since it's mind stuff, I guess do some meditation?"

The Gym Leader scratched her head, feeling a bit lost since she hadn't even known about psychic moves until meeting Sabrina. And even Starmie being half Psychic-type was difficult to wrap her mind around. The books and Pokédex only referred to her as the Mysterious Pokémon, so she figured Starmie had some special ability to use electric and ice attacks. Again, Misty felt how big the world really was, and she hadn't even left this region, much less the continent. Who knew how many more Pokémon were yet to be discovered?

Something brushed against her cheek and she looked to see Starmie hovering before her with a comforting cyan color to her gem, one point extended to touch her. Misty smiled and nodded back, confidence restored, prompting Staryu's gem to temporarily turn yellow before settling back on red as she set off to begin her meditation.

"Staryu, there are a handful of moves you can learn that Starmie can't at this point," the redhead continued, turning to the lesser evolved Pokémon. "We'll focus on those. One of them was Minimize, and you were practicing Light Screen to guard against Starmie's attacks last time. Now we're going to try learning Recover. You're already a natural regenerator with water; think of the move as using that without it."

"[Got it!]" Staryu replied enthusiastically.

"Goldeen, I want you to practice your water manipulation. You can already control water that you can't see by sensing it, try bumping up the volume and amount of bubbles you can control. Also, we'll try to teach you Agility. If you get good enough with both manipulation and speed, you should be able to leap from bubble to bubble of water. You can also create new ones with Water Gun, so that makes you much better on land."

Goldeen nodded with a serene expression and turned to the pond, the surface starting to stir as she formed a bubble and levitated it to get a better vantage point of the whole body of water. While she could sense it now, seeing the target of her manipulation certainly helped.

Meanwhile, Misty sat down, taking her flash cards out to study the other Water Pokémon and make plans for possible catches and future training. Seeing the pond as she settled in, she raised an eyebrow in thought and shrugged, taking out her compact fishing pole from her backpack.

Calling Staryu over for a moment to puncture a hole in the dirt with one of his points, she extended the fishing pole and wired the roll of fishing line through before rooting around in the water's edge for some moss and fixing it to the hook. Casting out, Misty set the handle of the rod deep inside the hole and packed dirt up to the reel to prevent it from getting pulled away.

"There. Maybe I'll find another amphibian Pokémon in this pond," she mused while going back to her cards and notepad, seated while facing the fishing pole to keep an eye on it. "It's worth a shot, at least."

Misty looked around, seeing Staryu with his points flexed as he was apparently attempting to concentrate on using Recover, Starmie laying on her back, perhaps contemplating her psychic nature, and Goldeen still floating in her bubble while another smaller one began forming beside it from the water of the pond.

'I just hope that it'll be enough. I'm sick of being useless against Team Rocket.'

* * *

Once Ash had Psyduck in a hospital bed to rest and checked on the feline Pokémon the groundskeeper had brought in, he started pondering over what he could do with the hours he had left in the day. He also left Pikachu behind to keep an eye on Psyduck and in case he woke up. Since Team Rocket had been defeated earlier that day, the Pallet Trainer bet that they would be preoccupied with patching themselves up.

As he headed back to the lobby, he thought over who he should train. Pikachu and Butterfree aside, it was already starting to get late, so he figured he should make the most of what time he had left.

'Bulbasaur is lined up to learn Solar Beam, so he's in,' he mused. 'Drowzee's still learning his new fighting style, and another move after Poison Gas can't hurt. I can even have Bulbasaur give him a quick tutorial on Great Breath. I'm also still getting a feel for where to take Bellsprout's. Who last?'

Pushing his hat back over his shoulders and backpack to scratch at his hair, the Pallet Trainer tried to decide among all the Pokémon he had left. Strict swimmers were probably better off training at Professor Oak's, so that narrowed the list. Primeape knew about the P1 Grand Prix and could probably train himself better than Ash could with his basic knowledge of boxing. Jigglypuff was probably better seeking help from the other Pokémon herself, from how she'd learned Water Gun and was trying to perfect Bubble Beam.

He was beginning to see what Brock had meant by more Pokémon taking more time, back when he had only six Pokémon. Still, Ash was determined to make it work.

'Maybe Drowzee can teleport me to Professor Oak's sometime so that I can see them all at once and help them for a bit,' he decided.

Shelving that thought for the moment, he took out his Pokédex to check over the moves his Pokémon could learn to see if any stuck out to him. When he couldn't find any ready inspiration, he decided to call in Pidgeot to see if he could come up with an addition to his Cyclone Wing combo. With the right move, the new combination could become a finisher.

* * *

Misty watched as a scrape on Staryu's semi-metallic skin healed up with a golden glow along the damaged limb. The Star-Shaped Pokémon had figured that he needed to be hurt in order to figure out a healing move, so he'd had Goldeen use Horn Attack on him. Luckily, he'd figured it out a moment later, his gem glimmering with golden sparkles before the minor injury healed up.

"Good job, Staryu," she praised.

The Water-type rotated once in the air with an enthusiastic "H-yah!"

"You go ahead and take a swim to forage; it's been a while since you and Starmie have had a chance to."

He jumped into the water and swam off, Misty watching with a smile. The smile faded to a confused look as she felt something like an itch on her head. She ran a hand through her hair while looking around in confusion.

 _'…ear…'_

The redhead looked back to the trees now, wondering if someone was nearby.

 _'…ou hear me? It's me.'_

Hearing the last two words in a motherly tone, Misty's instincts prompted her to look and see Starmie facing her now.

"…Starmie? Was that…?"

 _'Yes. I learned to sense a little while ago, but was working my way up to using it to communicate,'_ the Mysterious Pokémon explained. _'I didn't want to press too hard and hurt you.'_

Misty smiled and nodded, "Well, it's good to finally understand you."

A warm laugh sounded through her mind as Starmie's gem glowed yellow again, _'You've always understood me, even if you didn't always know what I was saying.'_ Then her gem turned red again as she turned towards the water, _'Hm? We have company.'_

The line of the fishing rod suddenly jerked and then the reel started unraveling with a whirring sound. Misty fumbled and grabbed the handle before uprooting it and standing up. It felt like a light Pokémon, but a fast swimmer from how the rod wasn't tugged hard in her hands even if reeling them in was so hard. Goldeen was still floating over the pond with her bubble divided into four as she leapt from one to another with standard jumps. Although the Goldfish Pokémon was watching with interest as her Trainer reeled in the one that had taken the bait.

As she saw a round figure nearing the surface as the bobber on the line was pulled out of the water, Misty gave one final heave and yanked her catch out of the water and onto the shore. A round blue Pokémon with a flat white tail yelped at being dragged from the water, but managed to flip and land on their short feet. As they turned to Misty, the redhead noted that the Water Pokémon had large round eyes, no arms, a tiny mouth with puffy pink lips and a clockwise black swirl pattern on their white belly.

Misty quickly fanned out her flash cards as the Pokémon tried to use their tail to pry out the hook that was caught in their mouth. Without hands, it was tricky to get the item out even if it didn't puncture the Pokémon's skin.

"Poliwag, the Tadpole Pokémon," she read after plucking the right one out and snapping the deck back together. "It has no arms, but its tail makes it a strong swimmer. This line of Pokémon is known for their constantly moist and elastic skin that's resistant to puncturing and hard to grab hold of."

Misty then walked forward and stooped down before gently working the hook out of Poliwag's mouth while Starmie hovered nearby in case the Pokémon attacked.

"Hi, sorry about that," she apologized. "Are you okay?"

Poliwag nodded with a "Poli."

"That's good. Listen, I was hoping to find a Pokémon since I need more teammates right now," Misty explained. "Somebody I know is fighting against bad guys, and I want to help. Also, I want to become a Water Pokémon Master. I know I might not have made the best first impression, but will you join me anyway?"

Poliwag looked at Starmie, and then at Goldeen, who had stopped leaping to watch the development while floating the three water bubbles to orbit them around her current vessel. She had never expected to see such a feat. All she'd ever known was the pond, and she liked it that way, but the power on display fascinated her. The Tadpole Pokémon wondered what the rest of the world must look like if this was only a little of it visiting her home.

"[All right,]" she said with a nod. "[I'll follow you. Seeing the world sounds interesting.]"

After glancing to Starmie for a translation, Misty's brow furrowed slightly in concern. Turning back to Poliwag, she added, "Look, it's not going to be all fun and games. When I say 'bad guys,' I mean actual villains. They steal Pokémon, rare items, and are really dangerous. The one they're after can defend himself pretty well, but I'll be there too. Can I count on you to battle?"

When Poliwag hesitated, Starmie added, _'It's okay to be afraid. I can't say you won't get hurt. But even in battle, we'll do our best to make sure that nothing truly bad happens to you.'_

The redhead nodded in agreement, and Poliwag was reassured that she'd have apparently powerful teammates to look out for her while she grew stronger. Weighing the prospects of waiting for a different Trainer when not a lot of humans came to the pond in the center of the park, Poliwag made her decision.

"[All right, I'll do my best.]"

"Thank you."

* * *

He regained consciousness feeling cold, his own natural body temperature working against him as he shivered slightly. Some cloths were loosely wrapped around him and he felt something soft under his back, so he realized that he wasn't in the ball anymore.

But he heard some shuffling and tried to leap out of whatever wrapped him only for his body to not cooperate. Flopping over on his side while still on the soft surface, he opened his eyes to see that he'd lost a majority of his weight, his arms thin and reedy with his claws bandaged and put in dulled plastic molds of some sort. A quick check revealed the same for the ones on his feet.

Looking at the person he'd heard, he saw that it was a female with hair the same color as his feathers. She was standing by a metal frame hanging a bag of fluids with a tube that connected to his wrist. The human was flicking a small cylinder where the bag's line and his line met.

"You're going to be okay, but you need your rest for now," she reassured. "After you're recovered enough for transport, you're going to a safe place to heal."

As she moved a clamp that had been over the tube, the liquid flowed and he felt slight warmth beginning to flow through him. It felt a little uncomfortable, but ultimately better than the cold. Feeling sluggish, he started falling back to sleep, barely registering the hands that righted him on the bed.

* * *

Jessie and Meowth waited outside of Henry's room, expecting James to be released. They had already made the call to Matori about the theme of the boutique and its wares, so the Boss was likely working on sending some agents from HQ and the Team Rocket Academy.

The female Officer's prediction wound up being right, the cursed agents being back to moving with relative ease even if they couldn't go as fast as they usually did. For Meowth and the other Pokémon, that meant they could battle a little, but wouldn't be able to fight someone like Ash.

The door opened and James walked out with his hands behind his back.

"Meowth," James started while turning to the Pokémon, "while you were gone, I was working on a little something. A self-fulfilling prophecy, if you will, for when you got back. See, I didn't think it was too fair that Jessie and I got a wardrobe change while you didn't, so I made you these for your new engineer role."

Holding his hands forward, he showed Meowth a miniature set of charcoal grey coveralls that zipped in the front and a pair of black work boots with thin charcoal soles made extra long to accommodate his feline feet. The attire had the Rocket logo emblazoned in a silver shield-like shape over the heart, like a coat of arms.

While Meowth accepted the outfit and looked over it, James continued, "I sewed it myself, adding a hole for your tail and belt loops so you can have a utility belt, whether for engineering or for battle. The soles of the boots are rubber, so you should be able to move on all fours with the toes once you break them in."

"Aw, James," the feline agent muttered happily while sticking his feet through the legs of the coveralls, "ya shouldn't have." Once his arms and tail were through, he zipped up the front and wrapped his tail around his waist like he did for his human disguises. He usually did so when he was working so it didn't get caught on anything.

Jessie nodded approvingly, "You _do_ look quite dashing."

Meowth rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed chuckle, and was glad that the focus was taken off of him a moment later at Ella's announcement.

"Aaaaattention, crew! We'll be landing one mile out of Caesar Town in about ten minutes. Those to run the Stellar Spa and Boutique, suit up! We'll get those papers to the town hall so we can open up tomorrow!"

"Oh, right!" James realized, turning to Jessie. "You and I need to look presentable when we claim ownership of the building."

She nodded, "Let's go, then!"

The two split up, speed walking down the hall to their rooms, James picking up Meowth and his new shoes along the way.

* * *

When the sun started setting, Ash returned to the Pokémon Center, satisfied with the day's progress.

Bulbasaur was able to gather sunlight easily enough since he already did it for his healing move, but he wasn't able to fire with quite enough force yet. Still, progress was progress.

Drowzee had picked up Great Breath relatively quickly and spent the rest of the training time meditating, apparently trying to reach a breakthrough on discovering some energy within himself.

Bellsprout's agility was as good as ever, but his physical blows were lacking due to his light weight, so Ash decided to focus on his Grass/Poison-type's strengths and keep Swords Dance as his sole physical move aside from Razor Leaf, Vine Whip and Wrap. With some practice, the Flower Pokémon had even managed to copy Weepinbell's spinning leaf flurry, his large leaves breaking apart into smaller leaves as he flung them every which way. Ash had dubbed the move Leaf Hurricane given that it was less controlled than the cyclone moves he'd invented and to differentiate from the more accurate Razor Leaf.

Pidgeot had practiced his Cyclone Wing on a hunk of wood he'd chopped with Razor Wind, and Ash, getting a flash of inspiration, told him to fly to the top and spin to maintain the tornado while flying down with Double-Edge. The Bird Pokémon did so and drilled into the bark as he drove it into the ground assisted by gravity, splitting it into large chunks as the tornado was split outward by the force.

It seemed to increase the recoil damage of Double-Edge, but from the damage it did, Ash figured that it would be good for trapping and finishing off otherwise tough opponents. He decided to name the new combination move Wind's Edge.

Another combination came to mind shortly after, involving Quick Attack and Double-Edge for faster execution if trapping the opponent wasn't needed. It seemed to increase recoil the same from the speed boost to the reckless tackling move.

He named that move Quick Draw from both the action in a western movie gunfight where the goal was to shoot the opponent fastest and the sword art of attacking in the same motion as drawing one's blade. Both were meant to end the fight with the first hit, which Ash felt suited a speedy and destructive move like he'd created.

Butterfree still hadn't come out, and Ash was going to make sure to leave some food out for the Butterfly Pokémon again.

Leaving his thoughts behind, he walked past the lobby and moved to the room where Psyduck was, entering to find the Duck Pokémon and Pikachu sharing a conversation. Psyduck seemed a bit drowsy as he was leaned back against the pillow on his bed, but he still replied to Pikachu, a marked improvement from his earlier dazed state.

Calling out Drowzee once again, Ash greeted the Water-type, "Hey, Psyduck. How do you feel?"

"[Better, thanks,]" he answered with a tired nod. "[It feels like I can think clearly for once. The past few days are a bit of a blur from the psychic headache being at its worst, but I should be fine by tomorrow.]"

"I'm glad to hear that," the Pallet Trainer replied. "Are you going to go home to learn how to control them?"

Psyduck looked away slightly, the bed sheets suddenly very interesting, "[I… don't have a home to return to.]"

Pikachu and Ash's eyes widened while Drowzee sighed in sympathy since he figured that something had happened.

Regardless, none of them pressed for details as Ash asked, "Well, in that case, do you want to come with us? Like we said, you can learn to control your psychic powers, and if there's no one back there to teach you, then we'll do our best to help you in their place."

"[…I'd like that, thanks,]" Psyduck nodded.

Ash nodded back, "All right, we'll pick you up tomorrow morning. You should rest in here for the night. Sleep well, Psyduck."

Psyduck relaxed and turned to go to sleep and Ash quietly left the room with his Pokémon. While moving from the hospital wing to the resident wing across the lobby, he saw Brock coming back in with his vest over his shoulder and a sweat worked up.

"What happened to you?" the Pallet Trainer asked incredulously. "Did you go a few rounds with a Fighting-type?"

Brock chuckled, "Actually it was Geodude with his Plate Shields and Plate Mail up, and a few sets of push-ups and crunches followed by a short jog. I'm training myself because I might need to defend myself with my own strength since I only have a small amount of Pokémon."

"Hmm, you might be right," Ash decided. "I wouldn't put it past Team Rocket to attack you if you tried to interfere."

"My point exactly," the breeder agreed. "I got a camping tool that doubles fairly well as a weapon. I was practicing with it against Geodude."

The eleven-year-old continued pondering and then met Pikachu's gaze. After a meaningful tilt of the head, Pikachu didn't look happy with the silent point presented, but begrudgingly nodded his agreement. No Pokémon liked the prospect of being unable to protect their Trainer, but he agreed that it was probably the safer thing to do.

Ash was already making plans to bring Primeape over during the trip to Caesar Town tomorrow when Misty came in next, scribbling in her notebook as she walked.

"Hey, Misty," Brock called. "Good training?"

"Mm-hmm," she hummed distractedly while moving on to the small restaurant that most large Pokémon Centers had.

Ash chuckled while rubbing his stomach, "She probably has the right idea; I could go for some food."

"Me too," Brock agreed as he followed his friend to the dining area behind Misty.

* * *

 **Notes:**

 **1\. I've seen this in a few fan works, where Pokémon can be locked inside their Poké Balls if they're unruly, or if the Trainer doesn't want to deal with them more than they have to.**

 **2\. I changed the Pokédex entry to match later data, and to highlight the difference between "frequent headaches" and "a constant headache."**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	32. Chapter 32: The Road to Recovery

**Review responses:**

 ** _BbK2442_** **(Answered via PM):**

 **2\. Psyduck/Golduck are actually one of the few Pokémon that can use Psychic moves in Gen 1, but not Teleport. Still, I'm sure Ash would be willing to help Psyduck with teleporting him at anytime. And even so, that explosion was only so huge because of being pent up for however long Psyduck had been wandering around, coupled with his natural power.**

 **3\. Ash knows basic boxing, enough to have taught said basics to Pikachu in _The Punchy Pokémon_. The only problem was that Pikachu is puny with short arms, so his punch didn't do more than annoy Hitmonchan. And Primeape already has great fighting instincts and talent. He's a brawler type. His style is basically unpredictability, tenacity and ferocity, especially when he amps up his physical abilities with anger.**

 **That aside, he's also relatively clever and adaptive, able to shake himself out of his rage in the face of a strong opponent.**

 **4a. Well, the main thing is that Psychic, at its peak, seems to prevent movement by locking up the muscles to the point where, even if the mind sends signals, the body isn't able to comply. Snoozing Lurker and I shared a debate about bugs' unique mind builds preventing psychic influence, whether hypnotic or telekinetic, and while bugs' muscles can be seized, their nervous system can still send signals to obscure ones that the psychic may have missed, or have them act on muscle memory alone if they can't move. A bug could release Sleep Powder even if it can't move its wings, or vibrate their antennae to create a high-frequency wave to disrupt their opponent's concentration.**

 **4b. As for the answer to your question, I guess they could. Vaporeon and Muk both have pretty high base special defense, and could probably melt away with Acid Armor to prevent from being held. Staryu's special defense is so-so, but Starmie's is pretty decent with Psychic typing providing additional resistance. But since Staryu is less realized of its powers, I imagine he'd be about as susceptible as bugs. Though his bizarre biology could probably let him use Flash directly from his exposed core since it's essentially his mind.**

 ** _BrightNova169_** **(Answered via PM):**

 **1\. It seemed appropriate since the district is called HopHopHop Town. :P**

 **2\. Ah, yes, about that… Well, that would be telling. I _will_ say that Misty is more perceptive and empathetic than most would think. She did grow up with a language barrier between her and her surrogate siblings and guardian. Nowadays, she just usually lets her temper get in the way of that when people or Pokémon are difficult, or acts impulsively, or puts her foot in her mouth.**

 **3\. Psyduck is more powerful than average for his species, evidenced by his telekinesis flinging Team Rocket's massive crane in _Lights, Camera, Quack-tion,_ with _Confusion_ , the weaker of the two telekinetic moves. And this was presumably _after_ his powers had degenerated enough for him to be more lucid even with the constant headache. It could be argued that his power in canon was because he was constantly holding back, and thus always had energy to spare whenever he managed to activate his powers. Anyway, in this case, he's been holding his powers back for an indeterminate amount of time, and it's before any atrophy sets in.**

 **5\. True. Many issues come about because of the language barrier.**

 **6\. Yeah, considering her family, she could've turned out a lot worse if she didn't have Starmie, Staryu and Goldeen looking out for her.**

 **8\. Maybe, but I wouldn't hold your breath on that account.**

 **9\. We'll see. Their first match is still simmering in my mind, the exact details forming. But I have the general gist of it.**

 **11\. Who said anything about Sneasel joining the team? He's in _no shape_ to battle, and Nurse Joy would never condone sending such a heavily malnourished Pokémon to travel the day after they're brought in. Mitchell said that Ash could have the Pokémon if he wanted since he thought he was a local or would stay long enough. But that has no bearing on whether or not he would take Sneasel with him.**

 ** _The Sinful_** **:**

 **1\. That's a valid, if rather morbid use of one, yes.**

 **2\. Yup.**

 **3\. Thank you.**

 ** _Engineer1869_** **(Answered via PM): With only counting matches between Ash and TR, and counting those where one side has to salvage half a victory in the other's favor, the score is 9 – 6 in Ash's favor. I also counted them catching the giant Tentacruel and pink Butterfree since it was a Pokémon Ash had interacted with and a personal loss to him, respectively.**

 ** _Fox McCloude_** **: Mm… Well, like Misty said, she has to keep her Pokémon in line herself. Also, see above for my reasoning on Misty dealing with difficult Pokémon.**

 ** _Noctis Sol_** **: A Sneasel. I tried to describe it well; sorry if you didn't get it.**

 ** _Snoozing Lurker_** **:**

 **1\. I can't tell if you mean Misty or Goldeen, or why you would have Pikachu call out either of them, but the question is moot anyway, so I won't dwell on it.**

 **2\. Fair enough.**

 **3\. Indeed she is. Once she let go of her fixation on being better than Ash, she was able to grow as a Trainer.**

 **5\. Thank you very much. I'm glad you liked Mitchell's time in the spotlight.**

 ** _TheShadowOfZama_** **:**

 **1\. There's a workaround to the amount of Pokémon he's allowed to carry, one besides the emergency call. You'll see here.**

 **2\. Thank you, working on Misty's character has been a fascinating task for me too.**

 **3\. He was the one that was taking bets during the Underground Tournament. He tried to skip out on paying James, who convinced him that it was a bad idea.**

 **4-5. It doesn't occur to most Trainers that they can be separated from their Pokémon. Ash himself didn't consider it since he always has a full team and can call in reserve Pokémon if need be.**

 **6\. Thanks. :)**

 **7-8. You'll just have to wait and see.**

 ** _lee2doie_** **:**

 **1\. Yeah, trying to identify a Pokémon without them speaking is rather tough if you don't keep them fresh in your mind. I tried my best to describe Sneasel well enough, but sorry for the confusion.**

 **2\. That might be the case, who knows?**

 ** _Bored321_** **(Chapter 29; Answered via PM):**

 **5\. He's the conman that tried to skip out on paying James' wager back in the Underground Tournament arc, though you know that now.**

 **6\. Well, he said "next time," and wording in prophecies and curses is always important.**

 ** _Bored321_** **(Chapter 30; Answered via PM):**

 **1\. The Game Corner didn't involve Pokémon. It was just a standard casino where people would buy tokens, play the various gambling games, and try to win enough tokens to get a Pokémon prize.**

 **2\. No, but it'd be a cause for investigation. I doubt the manager kept the evidence of his dealings hidden very well if he talked with Giovanni on the phone.**

 **3\. True, if Giovanni knew who they were, he'd send Proton to "behead" their resistance by taking out Giselle.**

 **4\. That and the fact that, as henry mentioned, James essentially flooded three Thunderbolts into his system all at once.**

 **5\. Substitutions are allowed, but Tangela and Weepinbell weren't in very good shape to continue fighting, so Erika basically conceded defeat after Gloom was taken out and neither of them would be able to take Charmeleon in their weakened state.**

 **6\. Strong emotions, especially negative ones like anger and fear, cause a release of pheromones in the body. An acute smeller like Rattata would be able to distinguish them.**

 ** _Bored321_** **(Chapter 31; Answered via PM):**

 **1\. I got it from the novelization of the Pokémon series, and the reason it never came up is because Ash never took up cooking before or really talked about his mom in detail to Brock or Misty before.**

 **2\. No prob. Anyway, yeah, a couple of other reviewers mentioned how, at the price Vaporeon was going for – well over three times a Slowpoke – there was bound to be some kind of problem, since Eevee are exceptionally rare and training one before evolving it would take time. That either meant evolving too early or an attitude problem.**

 **3\. Hmm… Good point. I'll change the question to asking why he immediately sided with her.**

 **4\. I don't know. The anime doesn't follow a single theme of naming the cities like the games. Examples include Gringey City, Acapulco, Hutber Port, Maiden's Peak, Dark City and probably several others. For all we know, Caesar was the name of the founder.**

 **5a. Dugtrio _does_ in fact have a body, and can learn Scratch and Slash in the games. The way I see it, they move their hands so fast that it's like iaijutsu with the hands.**

 **5b. They _can_ separate from each other to do multiple tasks, but they don't like being separated for long distances or amounts of time.**

 **4c. I would wager the rest of their body looks like a traditional mole: squat body, short tail, clawed hands and feet for burrowing.**

 **6\. Remember how Psyduck said that he didn't have a home to return to? Yeaaah… Drowzee mentioning that there should be nobody around when he lets go reminded him.**

 ** _Nanya_** **: Thank you very much. I hate to burst your bubble, but there's no way James would draw so much attention to himself by announcing himself in the Pokémon League, not that he'd be interested in competing.**

 **Now, on with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 32: The Road to Recovery

Once the Trainer trio was settled in their room for the night, they went to sleep soon after sunset. Brock had mentioned that, while relatively close, Caesar Town was still a day's walk from Celadon City. Ash wanted to get an early start, even if the tournament was in the afternoon on the day after tomorrow.

He had also taken the time to explain in low tones about the resistance that the students of Pokémon Tech had formed. Ash didn't have many details to give aside from their recent exploits, but explained that it was how he knew about the tournament.

After letting his Pokémon out for the night to sleep, Ash left a bowl of Pokémon food out and left his belt of Poké Balls on the nightstand to give Butterfree an easier time coming out if he didn't want to be spotted.

Later in the night, when everyone was sleeping deeply, the lone inhabited Poké Ball on Ash's belt released its resident. The materialized Pokémon looking around to make sure everyone was still asleep.

All three Trainers were still sleeping deeply in their beds, so he checked on his teammates. Pidgeot was dozing near the wall, either not having heard or pretending to sleep through it. Bulbasaur and Bellsprout were asleep next to each other, the latter leaning on the Seed Pokémon's bulkier frame as he wrapped his leaves over himself, seeming to cocoon his stem body in the intertwined foliage. Drowzee's eyes were closed as he sat mainly upright against the wall with his legs crossed. Pikachu was asleep with Ash in his bed, like usual, and seemed to have missed his release like the last time.

With the coast clear, Butterfree quietly fluttered over to the bowl and plucked a piece of Pokémon food to begin nibbling at it. He didn't particularly feel like eating, but knew that his Trainer was trying to look out for him and didn't want to worry him anymore than he already was.

The Butterfly Pokémon's sagging health was already beginning to show, his wings having lost some of their luster, along with his compound eyes being dull from lack of sleep. He hadn't had a decent sleep since that day, always being tormented with nightmares of his would-be mate in Team Rocket's clutches. Some had her being forcibly put into battle against overwhelming opponents, while others had her being tortured with electric prods for disobeying.

The worst part was that he couldn't be sure whether it was his imagination or some latent ability of his newfound psychic powers to receive visions.

 _'You seem troubled, young one.'_

Butterfree froze for a moment before looking around, seeing Drowzee awake now and staring at him with a neutral expression. Realizing that it was telepathy, and not wanting to wake up the others, he internally thought, 'I thought you were asleep.'

 _'I don't need to sleep to refresh my mind if my body's in good condition,'_ Drowzee replied with a minute shrug. _'I simply meditate to pass the time. My nights are spent musing on the day's events, cherishing the good things in my life, trying to reach new energies within myself, and occasionally contemplating my place in the universe._

 _'There are so many beings on this plane, and a single one can make no difference or all the difference in any given event, whether instant or distant. It's always an interesting paradox to think on,'_ he added, eyes drifting up to the ceiling as if gazing to the stars beyond.

The Hypnosis Pokémon seemed to shake himself out of his musings, _'But I digress. I can smell that your sleep has been plagued by nightmares. Quite frankly, the nauseating odor reached me the instant you were out of your Poké Ball. Would you care for me to ease your slumber?'_

Butterfree was a bit confused that he apparently smelled bad until Drowzee elaborated, _'This nose of mine smells more than body odor, young one. It smells dreams – whether ongoing ones or lingering traces – and yours have been nothing short of terrible. I can quiet the bad thoughts and bring good dreams in their place. But I can only do that by touch. Do you wish for my help?'_

The Butterfly Pokémon turned back to his food, appearing to think about it. After finishing a few more bits of kibble, he decided that he needed sleep more than food, and if this new Pokémon of Ash's could help him, then he might actually be able to have a peaceful rest. Butterfree was a bit hesitant to leave his subconscious in the hands of a Pokémon that could apparently analyze dreams, but decided that since Ash trusted him, he could trust him too.

Unknown to Butterfree, Drowzee was quietly listening in on his thought process to get a slight read on the Bug Pokémon's character since he'd never seen him before. While he sensed psychic power inside him, the Hypnosis Pokémon could tell that it was still coarse and uncontrolled, so he knew that there was little chance of the younger psychic being able to sense him reading his mind.

Idly, he mused that while Butterfree didn't have as much raw power as Psyduck, it seemed much more volatile since it was intertwined with his emotions as well as his mind, unlike him and the Duck Pokémon, even if the latter's brain couldn't quite handle the strain as of yet. Drowzee would wager that the Butterfly Pokémon would be capable of massive feats of telekinesis when suitably enraged, if only average otherwise.

When he saw Butterfree about to approach him, he glanced at the armchair in the room and focused on the small cushion that was atop the seat. After a bit of effort, the pillow started jerking before flopping off the chair on its flat side and getting dragged across the ground towards the Psychic-type.

Once it got to his hand, he fluffed it up and set it near him before patting it twice, _'You may lie here if you wish.'_

Butterfree settled down on it, his head facing Drowzee with his eyes already seeming heavy as Drowzee put a hand on the back of his head. The Butterfly Pokémon started hearing a soothing tune and began stirring in curiosity.

 _'Shh…'_ Drowzee soothed, the auditory illusion he was producing via telepathy not missing a note. Ash was hardly the first Trainer that he'd scanned, and reading others' minds while they slept was a rare pastime for him in the wild. The music was a lullaby that one such Trainer listened to from a music box during their younger years. _'Sleep, young one. Dream of pleasant visions, and let me shield you from the nightmares.'_

Butterfree's eyes started closing from the soothing melody and he fell asleep in mere moments due to his previous insomnia.

Drowzee watched for a moment before closing his eyes as well, pondering what he saw as the Butterfly Pokémon slumbered. He already knew of the events from that day by analyzing Ash's subconscious before, but it was better to see from the subject in question's perspective to gauge their feelings on the matter.

Getting a clearer picture of his nightmares than the lingering smell, Drowzee examined them as objectively as he could before moving on to the memories from Butterfree's point of view.

Drowzee sighed through his trunk in pity for the young Pokémon, making sure to keep his thoughts on the matter to himself. Even if he could relate the matter to Pidgeot – who he knew was at least partially awake – he didn't want to chance Butterfree listening in like Psyduck did earlier.

'So much love for another, and not an ounce of it returned. You, young Pokémon, are heartbroken over one that likely forgot about you already in the wake of that day's events.'

It would probably be easier for all involved if he used this opportunity to erase Butterfree's memories of the pink Pokémon, since everyone else seemed to have moved on despite Ash still carrying a heavy amount of regret for his perceived failure.

'No, that would never work,' he mused with another sigh. 'To do that, I'd have to erase everyone else's memories too, including all of Ash's Pokémon. I could manage it, but I'd never be able to cover up all of the evidence related to the event, especially involving Team Rocket. Not to mention violating any trust the team has in me.'

Perhaps it was already a borderline breach of trust to be examining his teammate in his sleep, but Drowzee saw it as being concerned to the point where respect of his privacy had to take a step back. However, tampering with memories without the subject's consent instead of merely examining them would be unforgivable, both by his team and by himself.

Instead, he defaulted to his original plan and changed his dream manipulation from merely suppressing the bad thoughts and planting a small amount of hope. It may have been false hope since he didn't exactly know what the pink Butterfree's fate was, but all hope was built around chance in any case.

Borrowing the slightest snippet of the pink Butterfree being tortured for disobedience, he changed the usual course of events and had her awaken psychic powers under emotional duress similarly to how Butterfree had. After throwing off her assailants, she bent the bars of her prison apart and fled, blasting the door off its hinges before flying into the night sky.

Drowzee looked down at his teammate breathing easier and internally prayed that he was helping. Sometimes to hope could be hard, because when your dreams and reality didn't line up, it discouraged you. After looking at his free hand for a moment during his thoughts, remembering his struggles with manifesting even the smallest amount of telekinesis, he returned his attention to Butterfree.

* * *

Under the night sky in Caesar Town, Squad 13 was disguised in overalls with white flannel shirts as they put the finishing touches on the storefront. The two human leaders along with Burton and Frank worked on the paintjob while Henry, Ella, Charlie and Meowth cleaned and organized the inside.

They also took inventory on the supplies inside and Jessie and James made plans for a shopping trip tomorrow morning to buy and craft the bare necessities of their stock before the grand opening in the afternoon.

James finished another mid-sized star in white paint to offset the larger ones in yellow before sliding down the ladder and picking it up to move it to another location, "Jessie, don't you think we've painted enough?"

"Suck it up," she retorted while painting a ringed gas giant planet in the upper left corner with a complex blend of its colors. The entire astral theme was set to a dark blue backdrop that they'd painted on the front. "We need to make this look its best, and I will not have our image besmirched by half-hearted effort!"

Burton and Frank decided not to comment as they painted light trails behind some of the stars and filled in a star outline with yellow paint, respectively.

The male Officer sighed and climbed up to paint a small yellow star in a spot that seemed a little bare.

* * *

The next morning, Ash led the way east to Caesar Town with his walking stick in hand after the Trainer trio had breakfast and he picked up Psyduck, sending Bellsprout back to make room for the Duck Pokémon as well as Bulbasaur to practice Solar Beam and bring in Primeape.

The Pallet Trainer was the first to wake up that morning, a bit earlier than sunrise given the time he went to bed. Finding Butterfree out of his Poké Ball and sleeping next to an attentive Drowzee was quite a surprise, but there wasn't much commotion about it. Only he, Drowzee, Pikachu and Pidgeot were awake to find out about it. The Butterfly Pokémon simply kept sleeping, and Ash quietly returned him to his Poké Ball after confirming from Drowzee that the change he'd made to his dreams would last after he already established it, at least until he woke up.

Hearing that Butterfree had been having frequent nightmares worried Ash considerably and made him wonder if he should've tried reaching out to Butterfree instead of waiting for him to come out. It had only been around a week since the incident, but leaving the situation alone didn't appear to help anything. He decided that he'd try to talk with Butterfree after lunch, giving him time to get his rest.

As they made their way to the next town, Drowzee and Psyduck were walking alongside the path, the former instructing the untrained psychic in controlling his powers and venting them in more benign ways.

"[You're keeping too tight a leash on your abilities,]" Drowzee lectured with a finger held up and one hand behind his back. "[You won't hurt anything if you don't will it, but if you let the energy build up, it'll fight for escape like last time.]"

He tapped two fingers to his temple, "[Don't strain. Let your chains relax. Extend your mind, your presence, and sense the minds around yours. You were doing it subconsciously yesterday, and even listened in on my private telepathy with our Trainer—I _know_ you've got it in you.]"

Psyduck took some deep and nervous breaths and held out his hand as Drowzee grabbed it to guide him along the route while the Water-type closed his eyes, steadying his breathing while trying to focus.

Misty was rather intrigued by Psyduck, but hadn't been very interested in raising him when she heard his story from Ash. While she could handle emotional issues, problems with the Pokémon's body or powers weren't her specialty.

An example came up when everybody nearby clutched their heads as a high-pitched sound like feedback rang in their ears until Drowzee put a hand over Psyduck's head, dampening the duck's communication with his own mind.

"[You don't have enough control for telepathy,]" he gently informed. "[Look, but don't touch. If you want to burn more power, try extending your range instead of speaking until you can master a gentler probe.]"

Psyduck bowed his head apologetically at the group of Trainers and Pikachu as Drowzee released him before resuming his sense training as they walked. He kept pushing how far his mind could project, detecting various wild Pokémon far from the path they took until he reached a massive colony of minds.

"[I… I think I can sense the humans and Pokémon of the town we left,]" the Duck Pokémon gingerly said once he opened his eyes.

"[Impressive,]" Drowzee noted while glancing back at the distant towers of Celadon City, the structures seeming small from the progress they'd made. "[Far longer than my range. You certainly have a lot of natural power, but it appears you'll struggle with the more delicate arts. You'll likely excel at telekinesis and the like, though.]"

Psyduck frowned slightly, "[So I'm best at hurting others?]"

"[You must understand that accidents can happen,]" Drowzee consoled. "[You clearly regret whatever happened, and you're learning to make sure it never happens again. Your prowess is only a curse if you choose to see it that way. With practice, it can become a great gift used to protect, even if you live a life separate from our team.]" The Hypnosis Pokémon suspected that Psyduck didn't remember the last time he'd heard this, so he repeated it.

The Duck Pokémon seemed thoughtful for a moment before nodding, "[All right… What next?]"

"[Well, you appear to have a firm grasp of sensing, so once we stop for lunch, we're going to work on meditation while lunch is prepared. This exercise focuses on looking inward instead of outward, reading and – if experienced enough – manipulating the energies within your body, but requires concentration to learn. Being still also helps grasp the concept, though some masters can reach the serene state even in the heat of battle.]"

"[Can you?]" Psyduck asked.

Drowzee smiled, "[So far, I can maintain a degree of calm to read my opponent's moves and be ready to teleport, but I still have much to learn. I had to figure things out on my own, after all.]"

The Water-type looked up at him with awe, and Ash smiled as he watched his two Pokémon interact. After the problems Psyduck had gone through regarding his powers, it was nice to see him finding a mentor in Drowzee.

As they continued, the Psychic-type explained more of the theory behind mind reading, teleportation and, to a lesser extent, body language to help in predicting moves from opponents. Not every opponent would be forthcoming in their approach, and there would be times where they wouldn't give time to concentrate on mental scans. Drowzee explained how the time he'd used to divine Primeape's intent during their battle had cost him as the Fighting-type's speed was enough to close the distance before he could teleport.

Brock eventually decided to set up a campfire for lunch, putting his new entrenching tool to use by digging a fire pit and going off to cut down some branches for wood with the sharpened side of the shovel blade.

Misty and Ash also went their separate ways for training. Whether or not they were on better terms, they were still planning to have a rematch someday and each wanted to keep as many strategies a secret from the other so that they could have an edge and make the match more exciting.

Drowzee and Psyduck walked a little bit further along the path so they could practice meditation in peace.

* * *

Misty had released Goldeen to form a bubble of water to float in beside her, the redhead holding Vaporeon's Poké Ball in front of her. Since the Bubble Jet Pokémon didn't try fleeing in the night while she was sleeping, and she hadn't bothered to lock his ball, it all but confirmed her theory about him. If she was wrong, then this would set her back, but Misty never got anywhere in life by dodging around issues. She'd confront this head on.

'He already knows that I can stop him cold with Goldeen, so he'll probably at least sit still to hear my proposal.'

Nodding to Goldeen who nodded back, Misty opened the Poké Ball to release Vaporeon. He was seated on the ground, eyes darting to Goldeen momentarily before he glared at her again.

"Oh, drop the act," the Cerulean Leader dismissed. "If you wanted me gone so much, you'd just leave in my sleep. You're just pouting because I ruined your fun."

Vaporeon's eyes widened momentarily before he took on an expression that was more wary than hostile. Goldeen was still watching him closely, but he decided to wait and see where Misty was going with her discussion.

The redhead got on one knee before him and looked him in the eye, "Listen, we got off on the wrong foot, and I want to make things better. I have one question, though: How many owners did you have before me?" She drew a small line in the dirt with a knuckle of her fist, as if it were a paw, "Count them out like this."

The Water-type looked at the mark, a little surprised at the alternate means of communication. He then heard Goldeen say, "[She has a fiery temper, but she's willing to understand you if you give her a chance. I would know; I grew up with her.]"

Glancing at the Goldfish Pokémon again, he looked down and used his small paw to draw four lines in the dirt next to each other.

"Four Trainers before me?"

Vaporeon hesitantly nodded, rather confused at the development.

Misty tapped a finger to the side of her face in thought, "So each of them returned you to the department store, did they? You appear to have a mischievous streak a mile wide, so I can't say I'm all that surprised." At the evolved Pokémon's pout, she added, "You can't deny it. I say mischievous instead of mean since you haven't attacked me once in the whole time I've had you."

She crossed her arms in thought, "But you like to play games with everyone around you, which is why you only stayed a little ahead of me in Celadon instead of just losing me. And you hate when the chase is cut short, like when Ash paralyzed you and I figured out how to keep you on a leash."

The Water-type began feeling slightly unsettled that Misty had seen right through him, and she picked up on it, saying, "I like to consider myself sensitive to others' feelings. Sure, I'm… a bit quick to snap, but I try. Now, how about a compromise?"

Vaporeon perked up slightly in interest.

"You may have heard it from your Poké Ball, but there _are_ dangerous criminals after someone I know," she explained. "One, you can play as many pranks on them as you please if you get the chance; just be careful since they're smarter than you might think at first."

The Bubble Jet Pokémon nodded.

"Two… If you're willing to help me out by doing some training and showing me what you can do, I'll be willing to play along with your jokes, within reason. _But_ , if I'm busy, then you'll have to settle for another Pokémon as a playmate."

Vaporeon's expression was incredulous for a moment before he nodded happily, "[That sounds fair enough.]"

"Okay, I'm glad we could work this out," Misty replied with a smile back as she stood up. "All right, for now it's training time. I'm going to be working with Poliwag, Goldeen and Starmie today, so you can train with Staryu. He loves games, and your job is to try catching him in any way you can."

She released the Star-Shaped Pokémon, who spun in the air before shrinking down to make himself a smaller target. Vaporeon tensed up while crouching low, limbering up his shoulders with a grin, the end of his tail twitching back and forth in anticipation. He could see that this was training in itself, but it was interesting instead of simply being two Pokémon throwing attacks at each other, or repeatedly hitting a target.

He sprung forward when Staryu darted off, calling with his tiny voice, "[Can't catch me!]"

"[Boys…]" Goldeen stated with a half-fond roll of her eyes.

* * *

Ash had walked a smaller distance away than Misty since he wasn't overly concerned about being watched. He knew that Misty could likely find him if she wanted to add more information to her notebook, but felt that she'd be more focused on her own training at that moment. Plus, she appeared to be making an effort to be friendly, even if she was still training to have their rematch.

Still, he decided to leave that thought for another day and had Pikachu and Pidgeot begin training. His starter was training to learn Skull Bash so that he'd have a move that could take advantage of his speed. He much preferred it to Double-Edge since Pikachu couldn't really afford to take a lot of hits and recoil damage would only tire him out faster whereas Skull Bash reinforced his head for impact so that there was no backlash. Pidgeot was refining his control of Razor Wind since Ash didn't have any new moves to teach him yet.

Once they were set in their routines, Ash took out another Poké Ball after putting down his backpack and taking off his jacket to hang it on the bag.

"Come on out, Primeape," he called. When Primeape appeared, he looked around, seeing no opponents. He turned to Ash, who took time to do some leg stretches. "Primeape, I want you to teach me how to fight."

Primeape tilted his head with a bewildered expression, "Preeeh?"

"I know," Ash replied while rotating his arms one at a time to loosen his shoulders up, "I don't have your strength or speed to back up any blows, but you can at least teach me some basics and train my body so I don't trip up."

The Pokémon crossed his arms as he thought about it. It would be awfully weird to be training his Trainer. Still, he was interested to see how far the boy could push his human strength. At length, he nodded.

Ash smiled, "Thanks, Primeape. How should I get started?" Primeape adopted his usual fighting stance, his fists held close to the sides of his head and legs firmly planted with the frontmost tensed up and the rear bent. The Trainer took his own stance vaguely reminiscent of a boxer and the Pig Monkey Pokémon inspected it before correcting a few posture errors.

Once Ash's stance met Primeape's standards, the Pokémon returned to his position across from him and waved his hand in a goading gesture for him to attack. He did so, and the Fighting-type ducked the attack before sending a punch at Ash's gut. The Trainer lurched backwards, sucking in his gut, but from curving his body, Primeape was able to change the jab to an uppercut. He stopped the punch at the last second, barely touching Ash's chin with his fist, but lifting it slightly to demonstrate the opening he'd left before the boy straightened out again.

Primeape let out a sigh through his snout. Ash had tried dodging, but was rather sloppy at this point. The Pokémon felt like he had his work cut out for him.

Then his eyes drifted upward to the hat on Ash's head. His eyebrows lifted in curiosity. Perhaps the job could come with a perk.

He started speaking while pointing to the hat, "[Since I'm the Trainer for now, and you're the trainee, can I try wearing the hat? I've always had my eye on it.]"

Ash looked to where the fist was pointed and asked, "You want to wear my hat while training me?" At Primeape's nod, he shrugged, "Sure, I don't see why not."

Primeape beamed and grabbed the hat before setting it on his head, moving the cord so that it hung over his back instead of dangling in front of his face. Ash then slid back, going into the corrected stance Primeape had shown him. The Fighting-type respected how serious Ash was taking this training session and grew serious himself.

"[All right, your offense is full of holes, so let's start with fixing your defense, blocking and footwork first,]" he explained, making some gestures of punching before shaking his head and taking a guarded position before pointing to Ash.

"…Defense first?" the Trainer asked, taking a moment to puzzle out the meaning without Drowzee to translate.

Primeape nodded and wound up a fist, even if he planned to dial back his strength and speed, "[Defend yourself!]"

Ash scrambled out of Primeape's reach for the first hit, making sure to not leave his head open again while keeping his guard up. His knack for keeping track of his speedy Pokémon came in handy since he could still see Primeape's punches coming.

Seeing that his Trainer was adapting, Primeape picked up the speed slightly and started forcing Ash to block instead of dodge.

Gritting his teeth, Ash's arms started pulsing in pain after the first few punches blocked. Even if he knew that his Pokémon was holding back, each impact still jarred his limbs each time.

When Primeape threw in a surprise kick, Ash was caught by surprise and instinctively used both open hands to stop the blow only for the Fighting-type to lightly punch him in his exposed chest and knock him to the ground.

The Pig Monkey Pokémon gave Ash a chance to catch his breath on the ground. The boy had held out longer than Primeape thought he would and had good fighting instincts—possibly from being experienced in training Pokémon, along with leading and watching Pokémon battles.

"Okay," Ash said with a sigh. "Maybe I moved too fast. If I'm going to learn to defend myself, it looks like I'll have to train my body first. Sparring seems to be out of the cards until I can toughen up."

He lifted his head and put his legs together before bending them at the knee, "Do me a favor and hold my feet down?"

Primeape tilted his head in confusion and did so with a foot over both of Ash's, his one leg's strength more than enough to pin them to the ground. He was rather surprised when his Trainer used the leverage to do a sit-up. With his round body, and his natural durability, he'd never practiced such an exercise.

Seeing the Fighting-type's confused expression, Ash explained, "This exercises the muscles in my gut, to make them tougher. If I do it enough, I won't be winded so easily. I'm starting with this since my arms feel sore."

Primeape inclined his head in understanding, feeling that blocking his punches, even when weakened, would hurt a human.

As Ash continued his workout, he asked, "Did you get some good training in for the tournament tomorrow?"

"[I _did_!]" Primeape replied with a satisfied nod as he beat a fist to his chest. "[There were a few different Pokémon at the old man's place, and I managed to beat each of them!]"

"Glad to hear it," Ash nodded as he completed another sit-up. "Just do your best and be ready for Team Rocket to come crashing in."

* * *

Psyduck panted as Drowzee had a hand on the back of his head, calming the built up power that was about to lash out.

"[It seems meditation is beyond your reach right now,]" he observed. "[Looking inward requires you to bare yourself to your mind's eye. If you're hiding something or allow negative emotions to cloud your soul, your energy is unbalanced, and you won't be able to control it very well.]"

When Psyduck looked up at him, Drowzee gently explained, "[Make peace with yourself. Let your negative feelings go. I did the same.]"

At the Duck Pokémon's incredulous expression, he laughed, "[Everybody's had some emotional issue at one point or another, Psyduck. Nobody's perfect. I was quite angry about a lot of things back in my youth. It was in letting that rage go that I was able to move on and develop my other talents instead of focusing solely on my lacking telekinesis.]"

Psyduck nodded, taking the lesson of his newfound mentor to heart.

Drowzee looked around, "[For now, though… Ah.]" He held up a hand and seemed to strain as a palm-sized rock lifted off the ground and made its way through the air to his outstretched fingers.

After letting out a sigh of relief, he levitated it again, seeming to manage holding it in place above his hand easier than moving it. "[We'll have to work on your telekinesis.]" Slowly spinning the rock with his mind, he instructed, "[Your end goal is to levitate this rock like so and spin it as gently as you can. It'll be a good way to gauge your control. First, though…]"

The Psychic-type let the rock descend into his grip again and tipped his hand, letting it casually fall to the ground between them, "[Lift the rock and hold it in place. Start with levitating it in the air since the hands tend to be focal points of telekinesis as much as the eyes.]"

Psyduck gulped nervously and stared at the rock for a moment before holding a hand out and curling his fingers as he'd seen Drowzee do while trying to use a small bit of his power. The rock glowed for a moment before instantly being crushed to bits. The Water-type released his hold out of surprise and groaned at his failure.

"[It'll come with time,]" Drowzee reassured while moving another rock between them. "[Only imagine a grip if you need extra power or you're sure of your control. If it helps, try to visualize your telekinesis as an updraft centered on the rock. You only need to lift it for this first part.]"

Taking a deep breath and trying to calm himself, Psyduck held one hand palm-up and made a slow lifting motion. The rock launched a few meters into the air, but he tried to stay focused and held the palm towards the rock, trying to stop it only to send it flying in a different direction from the force of his telekinetic pulse.

As the two psychics watched the rock sail into the distance, but not quite over the horizon, Drowzee commented, "[It stayed fully intact this time.]" Seeing Psyduck covering his eyes while his head was bent in shame and frustration, he continued, "[Don't be discouraged, Psyduck. You're learning more control than you think. That rock sat between us and we're only a short distance apart. Yet I didn't feel a single bit of your psychic power go for me. You only targeted the rock.]"

Psyduck uncovered one eye and looked at Drowzee, who smiled, "[As I said, it will come to you with time.]" He stood up and dusted off his legs, "[Now, I believe lunch will be ready soon. Let's return to camp.]"

* * *

After lunch, Ash let Brock and Misty know that he was going to run on ahead with Primeape for exercise. He said that he didn't feel that he'd make it all that far ahead and promised to stick to the path when the redhead pointed out that he could get lost on his own.

He rummaged around in his pants pocket, "But… I'll have you know that I got a compass while I was at the department store." He held out the navigation tool towards the road ahead and said, "We're still heading east, so I'll either wait or go west if I want to meet up with you again."

With that done, he pocketed the compass and recalled Psyduck and Drowzee before taking off beside the path in a fast jog, his walking stick wedged under his backpack again. Pikachu ran alongside him and Primeape easily kept up on the other side of the road.

Keeping track of the time on his Pokégear, Ash kept running for about fifteen minutes before he slowed down to a brisk walk. Traveling across Kanto seemed to have done some good for his endurance, at least. He'd always been active when competing against Gary back in Pallet Town, but more in short bursts.

After catching his breath and going for another fifteen minute jog, he stopped and sat down to rest, letting Primeape wander off for his own training.

Looking back and not seeing Brock and Misty, he nodded, "Okay. This looks like it should be far enough."

The Pallet Trainer remained seated as he opened Drowzee's Poké Ball and took out Butterfree's, hesitating for a moment before expanding and opening it as well.

Butterfree appeared before Ash and his two teammates, his eyes a little brighter after a peaceful sleep, but his wings still lacking their usual sheen.

"Butterfree…" Ash started. "I think it's time we had a talk about what happened. You've been alone long enough from the look of it."

Pikachu nodded his agreement, "[You look like you haven't been taking care of yourself.]"

Butterfree remained silent while not meeting any of their eyes and Ash waited for a response with a patient expression. After a short time, he sighed, "Look, if you're mad at me, I'm sorry I didn't realize-"

The Butterfly Pokémon looked up at him incredulously, "[I was never mad at you! If anything, I blamed myself for not attacking Team Rocket myself when I had the chance. I was _there_ when they were moving the Butterfree and took her aside.]"

"[Butterfree, I mean this in the nicest of ways, but you wouldn't have stood a chance against all of Team Rocket's Pokémon by yourself,]" Pikachu replied.

"[I know!]" Butterfree snapped, looking down. "[Gyarados alone would've swept me aside. That's why I left, but I could've _tried_.]"

Ash had been listening in via Drowzee's translation and sighed, "Butterfree, something that I had to learn on my journey is that you can't get hung up on what you could've done differently. It'll tear you apart; trust me. Never forget it, but you need to move on."

"[But how can I?]" he asked. "[How do _you_ do it?]"

"I think about those that we _were_ able to save," the Trainer calmly answered. "I think of keeping Pikachu safe, rescuing AJ's Sandshrew, the handful from the St. Anne, the people of Hutber Port, the trio of ghosts from the Pokémon Tower, Sabrina, and, in the case of that day, all of the other Butterfree that can go on to have families in safety. That's how I sleep at night."

When Butterfree didn't respond, Ash pulled him into a hug, "I know that it hurts, Butterfree. And even if you don't blame me, I'm still sorry that I couldn't save her."

The Butterfly Pokémon could feel another pulse of emotion from his Trainer, a warm blanket of solace tinted with sympathy. Drowzee sensed it too and made a note to investigate it later. It didn't quite feel like psychic communication; it was new to him.

Ash patted his Pokémon on the back of his wings, "Butterfree, like I said, I think you've been alone in your ball long enough. I want to send you back to Professor Oak's so that the rest of the team can support you."

Butterfree hesitantly nodded, knowing that Ash was trying to look out for him. Being alone hadn't seemed to have done him any good, so he was willing to try leaning on his teammates.

After returning him and sending him via the Pokédex, Ash let out a sigh of relief. It was a weight off his chest to have helped Butterfree, however small, and to have gotten him out of his ball. Only time would tell if he recovered now, but the Trainer felt that his other Pokémon would help.

Turning to Drowzee, he nodded, "Thanks, Drowzee. You've been a big help by translating what Pokémon say."

 _'You're welcome,'_ the Hypnosis Pokémon replied with a smile. _'I'm glad to have been of assistance.'_

Pikachu was about to comment when his ears perked up. He looked towards the trees and bushes and then tugged at Ash's jacket, "[Ash.]"

The Electric-type pointed at his ear and then the greenery once he had his Trainer's attention. "You hear something?" he asked.

After straining his ears, Ash could hear a single, distant crow that persisted as it approached, growing in volume as the source was apparently coming closer at a rapid pace. Trees were toppling over in the distance before one was apparently uprooted and carried along. Ash stood up to get ready for battle.

A tall and speedy Pokémon rushed in from the trees beyond, squawking at the top of their lungs in fear. Ash's eyes caught the appearance as predominantly brown, the only feature he could clearly detect at that speed and he wondered what happened before a more familiar shout reached his ears, a small tree uprooted slightly further away before it was carried along.

"…iii! Priii! PRIIIII!"

The fleeing Pokémon apparently spotted him since they ran around him and put him between them and Primeape as the Fighting-type burst out of the small wood with the tree from earlier held above his head in his hands, apparently to use as a massive club.

Ash held out his hand, "Primeape, stop!"

His words, along with registering the fact that the Trainer was in the way of his attack, caused Primeape to slow to a stop right as the group was in range of being hit by the tree.

"[Coward, using him as a shield,]" he grumbled.

"Put the tree down," Ash coaxed. When Primeape was still glaring at the Pokémon behind him, he switched to a firmer tone, "Put it _down_ so that we can talk things over."

The Pig Monkey Pokémon growled, but slammed the tree's roots into the ground, forcefully planting it to stand near the road.

"Good," Ash replied pleasantly. He turned around to see the Pokémon still there. They stood a little taller than Ash and had a round body covered in brown feathers standing on two long bird legs. There were no visible wings, and two black-skinned necks extended from the top of the body to connect to two identical heads. Both were round with beady black eyes up front and long beaks. The head on the body's right was still warily watching Primeape while the left regarded Ash.

The Pallet Trainer took out his Pokédex to scan the Pokémon, Dexter speaking up a moment later.

 ** _"Doduo, the Twin Bird Pokémon. The brains in its two heads appear to communicate emotions to each other. Even while eating or sleeping, one of the heads always remains on watch for any sign of danger. When threatened, it flees at over 60 miles per hour."_**

"Doduo, huh?" Ash mused while looking up at the Pokémon. "What happened?"

"[He kicked me in the face!]" Primeape accused while shaking a fist at Doduo.

"[You attacked us out of nowhere!]" the right head shouted back, never taking his eyes off the Fighting-type.

"Lemme guess, you saw a Pokémon you'd never met before that you thought would be an interesting challenge," the Trainer speculated while turning to Primeape.

The Fighting-type at least had the grace to look slightly embarrassed at being caught, "[All the other Pokémon around here were puny.]"

"Challenge first, whether from you or the other, and _then_ fight," Ash reminded. "And respect a refusal."

"[All right,]" Primeape grumbled.

The Trainer turned back to Doduo and bowed slightly to the wild Pokémon, "Sorry about that. He won't attack you again; you're free to go."

The two heads stared at him, the right confused while the left had a more level expression. As the former listened in via their link, wondering what his twin was thinking, he turned to him incredulously, "[Wha-?!]"

Headbutting him slightly to quiet his outburst, the calmer head said, "[Excuse us for a moment.]"

The Twin Bird Pokémon trotted a few meters away before appearing to have a whispered discussion among the two heads. Out of respect for their privacy, Drowzee refrained from listening in with telepathy.

"[You can't seriously be thinking of joining this kid and his psycho Pokémon!]" the right head hissed.

The left calmly nodded, "[I am. While that Primeape made a poor first impression, apparently he doesn't represent the attitude of his Trainer.]"

"[What makes this kid so special?]"

"[Being willing to hear out a wild Pokémon along with his own. And he has a Pokémon to translate, apparently. My guess is the taller yellow and brown one. I know you're angry, but try to think about it. One day, running away won't be enough to avoid being captured. Any dogged pursuer that's strong or clever enough to outmaneuver us _will_ defeat us, and we _would_ be captured. Is it not better to willingly join a Trainer that will respect our wishes?]"

The right head mulled it over, still not appearing appeased, but begrudgingly considering the idea.

"[…Fine. But that psycho Primeape better remember that no means no.]"

Doduo returned to Ash and his Pokémon, the left saying, "[We wish to join you on your journey, if you'll have us.]"

Ash's eyes widened, and he replied, "Well, I'd like to, but you need to understand that there are criminals that I regularly get into fights with."

"[We're a prime runner,]" the right head insisted. "[Not a lot of Pokémon can move faster than us.]"

"[Running away isn't an option against these,]" Primeape snorted.

The left head amiably retorted, "[We'll manage. You may have noticed that we ran _around_ the trees in our flight, not through them, unlike you.]"

A vein throbbed on Primeape's head as Pikachu quietly snickered. Once the Electric-type pulled himself together, he offered a spar to Primeape in order to make up for the missed one with Doduo. The Fighting-type accepted since Pikachu was a speed fighter too and he wanted to blow off some steam.

"All right, if you're sure," Ash nodded while Pikachu and Primeape moved a little further down the path. "Just one thing. Calling both of you Doduo would make it a bit confusing about which head I'm talking to. Do you mind if I give each of you a nickname and call you Doduo when I'm talking to both of you?"

The two heads were surprised at the request and looked at each other. It had never been an issue for them since they had their mental link, but they could see where it would be somewhat problematic for single-headers.

After they nodded their consent, Ash crossed his arms in thought, "Okay, this is my first time giving a nickname, much less two… Mm…" He pointed at the head on Doduo's right, "Is Rick okay?" After he nodded, the Trainer turned to the left, "And Lee for you?"

Both heads agreed with their names, and Ash took his Poké Ball from his belt with a smile, "All right, Doduo, welcome to the team."

After catching the Twin Bird Pokémon, the Pallet Trainer watched Primeape and Pikachu's sparring to make sure it didn't get out of hand and released Psyduck again to resume his psychic training with Drowzee.

By the time Brock and Misty caught up, Ash was fully rested and continued walking with them. He also introduced Doduo to Brock and Misty, pointing out the individual names for his heads as well.

The group traveled without further incident and arrived at Caesar Town by sundown. After locating the Pokémon Center, Brock moved to get them a room for the night when Ash stopped him.

"I want to check something first." He turned to Drowzee, "Can you teleport me somewhere that _I've_ been to even if you haven't?"

 _'If I can get a clear image from a memory, yes,'_ the Psychic-type replied after mulling it over for a bit. He reached a hand towards Ash's, _'If you would visualize the location? The clearer you can make it, the better.'_

The Trainer grabbed his Pokémon's hand and closed his eyes as he thought of the front yard of the Ketchum residence. The picket fence, his mom's garden, the front of the house, even some of the surroundings, like Professor Oak's lab on the hill barely visible in the distance and some of the neighboring houses.

 _'Got it,'_ Drowzee confirmed.

Ash turned to his companions, "I'm going to be spending the night at home, and training with my Pokémon at Professor Oak's tomorrow morning. I'll be back at noon to check in with you a couple of hours before the tournament. Rattata can find you two by scent, so don't worry about waiting."

Brock briefly contemplated asking to be sent home to see his siblings, but decided against it since he wouldn't be picked up until noon and he had plans tomorrow morning.

After saying his goodbyes, Drowzee grabbed Ash and Psyduck's hands, Pikachu along for the ride on Ash's shoulder.

Everything went white in Ash's view for a moment before he found himself staring at the front of his home. He looked up and noticed that the sun seemed a little bit higher in the sky in Pallet Town. Thinking it over, he guessed that since he was further west he had somehow caught up with the sunset for a while. Glancing at his Pokégear, he noticed that the current time it read was blinking before going back to a solid display, saying the time was an hour earlier.

'Hm, that means I'll have to leave here at 11 in the morning to meet up with Misty and Brock at noon,' he mused. 'Good to know.'

With that knowledge filed away, Ash walked up to the front door with his Pokémon trailing behind him and knocked a few times before ringing the doorbell.

Soon after, the door opened, "Yes?" Once Delia fully opened the door and saw Ash, she gaped in shock.

He smiled and held up his hands, "Surprise!"

"Ash!" she greeted joyously while pulling him into a hug, bending forward to have her face over his unoccupied shoulder. Ash hugged her back, and she soon pulled back to inspect him.

"You've gotten taller! Is that a new backpack? How did you get here?"

Ash gestured to Drowzee, "I had Drowzee teleport me here. I thought it was about time for a visit. I'm going to head back tomorrow, though."

"Oh, that's fine," Delia replied with a beaming smile. "It's just good to see you again! Come in, I'll get dinner started."

"I'll help," Ash offered. "I recently bought some cooking gear, and it'll be good to make sure I haven't gotten rusty."

* * *

Meowth was surrounded by metal and wires, his small size good for squirming into the machinery itself and making sure that everything was in place. A small LED flashlight lit his way, fixed to the side of a pair of welding goggles over his eyes. His Pokémon body and fireproof coveralls worked well enough to resist any sparks.

Reaching inside a hollow tunnel of metal, he soldered metal plates together after fixing them into place. Once finished, he planted his feet to a surface opposite and swished some spit in his mouth, building it up as more moisture gathered until he spat out a condensed ball of liquid that cooled down the heated line of metal. After that, he grabbed the new metal extension with his prototype mechanical hands, still covered in gloves to hide the exposed parts, and pushed with his whole body to wrench it into its place within the hollow.

While Jessie and James had been running the boutique, he'd been given the Pokémon Flash Cards to train their Pokémon, including himself. The only exception was Gyarados, who was released in the early morning by James to do his own training and then come back at night. The sea serpent was a bit too large to train in the basement they'd built into their business.

Arbok was assigned to learn Mega Drain, Meowth giving the advice to try anything to trigger the move, whether absorbing energy through the eyes, teeth or pattern on her belly. She'd practiced on a potted plant, which was full of bite marks with the pot severely cracked from her trying to bind it and use her pattern to absorb its energy. So far, she'd managed to wilt the leaves, but the feline Pokémon thought it was just because her bite was poisonous.

Fearow was looking for a more tactical move after recovering from the Razor Wind she'd taken, Meowth listing off the moves she had left to learn. She picked Substitute since she remembered copying it. As such, she was training herself, trying to find the right way to execute it.

Beedrill went for more destructive power, picking Double-Edge for a stronger hit. Losing to Bulbasaur had made him realize his over-reliance on poison to handicap his opponents. Even Swords Dance became rather predictable when it was his go-to offensive move. Fury Attack had become rather obsolete as well in the face of more powerful moves. After mastering the execution in the air, he moved to using it on the ground in order to plan for if his wings got damaged.

As for James' Pokémon, Weezing began learning Haze, a special black mist that supposedly lifted boosts and disrupted afterimages within itself. The Poison Gas Pokémon was excited to learn a new move that would let him help more.

Mankey absorbed fighting moves like Seismic Toss and Submission in an instant, so Meowth wound up telling him to master Thunderbolt to get him off his back for a moment. While he was an enthusiastic student, and James admittedly hadn't had much time to spare for training in a while, Meowth had other students to get started and his own training to get to.

Zubat was recovered enough to earn James' approval to exercise, so Meowth started her off easy by having her increase her biting power. He achieved that by giving her a small sapling in a pot and telling her to practice on it. Once she could poke at least small holes in the bark, he would move her on to the next move.

With all six Pokémon set to their tasks, Meowth had seen about checking his own card. It was quite a surprise to find he could learn moves other than Normal-type ones. First, he'd upgraded his Scratch attack to Slash for better cutting power, even if the former move was faster with less drag on his claws with shorter length.

Tempting as it was to learn Thunderbolt, he was still skeptical about being able to pull it off, so he started with something slightly more plausible, Water Gun. If he could learn that, then electric attacks might not be far off either.

He'd felt a little silly retching as if trying to shoot water. After a while, he'd felt the spit in his mouth starting to respond, so he'd built it up as if getting ready to shoot a spit ball and was surprised when it seemed to be amplified to the point where it splatted hard against the far wall. Meowth wasn't anywhere near a Water Pokémon's level of power, but with practice he managed to work up to spitting a ball of water half the size of his head, but couldn't get the "fire hose" stream that he'd seen the likes of Squirtle use.

But after hearing about a tournament of powerful Fighting Pokémon going on from one of their customers, he'd been reassigned from acting Trainer to infiltration and planting their ace in the hole.

It was a bit of a gamble, but most good Trainers would stick around even after losing to see what the other fighters did, or to watch for any special tricks. Some simply stayed because they enjoyed watching the battles. But either way, there would be a whole ring full of tired out Fighting-types after the championship bout.

Taking more metal plates and beginning work on the next piece, Meowth consoled himself by reminding himself that this was the last leg to work on. Electrical wiring was the easy part, especially for him, but building the machine into an already-existing system, without making it look any different on the outside and all within a single night, even if it meant about twelve hours to work with.

Suffice to say, Meowth had a long night ahead of him.

* * *

 **And that's all for now! Sorry if you all were expecting action, but there were still a few interim events.**

 **Also, how ironic that Halloween swings around _after_ I've already written the chapters revolving around Sabrina and the Pokémon Tower, even if Chapter 28 wasn't that haunting compared to the original. To those who celebrate the holiday, I hope you have a good one. To those who observe All Hallows Eve instead, I wish the best as well. To those who don't, for either, try to be good sports about it. The same to all sides, really. Live and let live, and all that.**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	33. Chapter 33: A Battle on Two Fronts

**Sorry for the long wait, I've been dealing with some personal issues, and my writing's slowed down as a result. But I hope that this extra long chapter makes up for it.**

 **Review responses (All non-guest reviews w/ questions answered via PM):**

 ** _Engineer1869_** **: I'm glad that you're enjoying. Also, Misty has more empathy and understanding than most would immediately assume from her behavior.**

 **Now, to answer your questions:**

 **1\. She was likely put in the organization's line of rare Pokémon to be auctioned off. Depending on whether or not she cooperated, she's either in a cage or in one of the stables.**

 **2\. Unknown as of right now. Most likely, he flew to the nearest large source of water so he could readily hunt for his meals while training. From the geography, he most likely flew to just outside the inlet/port that Gringey City lie.**

 **3\. At this point, them putting the shock proofing is just habit since electricity to any machinery can overload it. They don't _know_ that he'll show up since the Trainer trio didn't give any clues that they would go that way, and he shouldn't really know about the tournament anyway. I imagine that wouldn't stop them from planning for it, though. The TRio agrees that no matter what they do, Ash has a strong chance of showing up at some point or another. The only exception was catching the giant Tentacruel and the Underground Tournament.**

 **4\. Well, since they're the only Field Commanders as of now, I suppose that makes them the top by default until more Officers start applying. Still, their ingenuity and successes speak for themselves. Sure, they don't always win, but they go against a lot more opposition. And the successes that they _do_ manage to land carry a lot of weight.**

 ** _Fox McCloude_** **:**

 **1\. Yeah, Misty's character was rather interesting for me to work with. As I pointed out in previous responses, she _is_ more empathetic than a lot of people give her credit for. She just has a rather quick temper along with it.**

 **2\. Well, ain't that a coincidence.**

 **3\. We'll see indeed.**

 **4\. Yeah, I noticed, and I wanted to thank you. Shortly after you posted it, I got a few more faves and follows from (I presume) some of your readers checking out my story. :)**

 ** _TheShadowOfZama_** **: It's good to see that you like the way things are going, thanks.**

 ** _Apex85_** **(Chapter 2): I'm glad you're enjoying. :)**

 ** _Snoozing Lurker_** **:**

 **1a. Indeed, though Misty managed to reach an understanding with Vaporeon without necessarily needing a translator. Sorry if the pace of problem solving is a bit of a turnoff for you.**

 **1b. Yup.**

 **2\. Ha, that would be funny, and yeah, Ash has a lot of Pokémon now, so it's getting harder to keep all of them included. I'm trying to juggle them, but it's especially hard for the swimmers since Ash isn't always near water.**

 **3\. A-yup. They're relying on their machine since they're still recovering from the curse and there are several Fighting Pokémon attending the tournament. Meowth and the other Pokémon are able to operate at about 70% right now, which is why he can work to build the device and they're good to train.**

 ** _BbK2442_** **:**

 **1\. I know. The action's in this chapter, don't worry.**

 **2\. Yeah, that'd occurred to me as well. Drowzee's smart, so he probably figured it out too, but wanted to wait for a more opportune moment.**

 **3\. Indeed.**

 **4\. Yeah, that does present a good opportunity.**

 ** _The Sinful_** **: I'm not gonna lie: The thought _did_ cross my mind, and I _was_ honestly tempted. But there would be no reason for Ash to name the left head Morty, so I couldn't.**

 ** _BrightNova169_** **:**

 **1a. I've actually read that fanfiction. And if by "happy," you mean "vindictive," then I can agree. I'll say it's rather cathartic to watch.**

 **1b. Well, she never really loved him. By the time Ash and co. got to the warehouse, she was already switched out, so Butterfree never made the impression that he did in canon.**

 **2\. Probably, but could you really see canon!Ash knowing how to handle a Psychic-type, or even thinking to go out of his way to look for one?**

 **3\. Perhaps, or he just enjoys messing with people.**

 **6\. Thank you, I figured that they would have unique personalities, since if they had the same kind they wouldn't disagree nearly as much as we see in canon.**

 **7\. Yeah, it only makes sense to use Teleport in that way. But Ash probably wouldn't use it to cut time on his travels since he sees the trip being about the journey, not the destination.**

 **8\. Possibly. He seems to have a good handle on the situation with Drowzee's help, but my Ash is less hesitant to ask for help than his canon self.**

 ** _Nanya_** **: Sorry for the wait.**

 ** _Apex85_** **(Chapter 5): I'm glad you think so.**

 ** _chuunin33_** **: Thank you…? I mean, I suppose that means it's good, right?**

 ** _jbadillodavila_** **: Gracias. (Please note that I don't actually speak much Spanish.)**

 ** _MidnightStarHunter_** **: Yes, and I retroactively made it that he had latent aura potential since I already know that it's revealed in the future. He doesn't have control over it as of yet, only having enhanced empathy with his Pokémon as Brock mentioned in Chapter 25, but it's there. Ash _is_ going to start fresh in Hoenn, but in canon, Team Rocket only had Weezing and Arbok leave since they had no choice. Do you really think they'll be in such a dire situation in this case? But don't worry; the rest of Ash's Pokémon are one click away with his Pokédex.**

 **Probably not. He's only naming them to differentiate between the two heads when he's calling one or the other. And Ash always had a knack for reading the cues his Pokémon, particularly Pikachu, give when trying to talk to him.**

 ** _Purple Pallbearer_** **: Hmm… Fair enough. I'll start including that in the next chapter, below the notes section. I've gotten a few other comments about how it can be difficult to keep track of them. Also, thanks for the fave and follow.**

 ** _Theseus_** **: Thank you very much.**

 ** _Guest_** **: Drowzee's already figured out ways to maximize the utility of his lacking telekinesis, though he'd gladly take input from Ash.**

 ** _tanithlipsky_** **: Thank you.**

 **On with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 33: A Battle on Two Fronts

Ash woke up with the sunrise in Pallet Town, reaching over to check his Pokégear on the nightstand and seeing that it was around 7:30 in local time.

'About three hours for training after breakfast, then,' he mused while Pikachu started waking up as well from his movement. The rest of Ash's Pokémon had been let out of their balls to sleep over at Professor Oak's where there was more space.

Looking around his old room, he chuckled to himself as he remembered seeing some of the Pokémon his belongings were modeled after in real life. The only ones he hadn't seen yet were Poliwag, Voltorb (which his old alarm clock used to be modeled after before he broke it) and Snorlax.

Changing out of a spare set of pajamas he'd borrowed for the night, Ash let Pikachu onto his shoulder and went downstairs to the kitchen, planning to quickly cook some omelet rice for him and Pikachu since he didn't have a lot of time to spare.

He'd talked with his mom last night about his trip to Celadon City and the new Pokémon he'd met so far. She'd been glad to hear about him managing to preempt a fight with Team Rocket by ambushing them in their own trap with Primeape and congratulated him for his fourth badge.

She'd been a little concerned that he was getting tangled up with the resistance of Trainers that he'd explained about. Though she decided that having help was better than trying to fight Team Rocket alone, especially when that resistance could grow to handle things without him given time. But she kept that last part to herself.

As Ash approached the kitchen, he was surprised to smell food cooking in the air and hear a merry hum. Then again, he probably should've expected it; his mom was always awake before him.

"Morning, mom," he greeted while crossing the doorway.

She smiled while turning away from the stove, "Good morning, Ash. I figured you'd want an early start, so I'm making you a breakfast to go."

"Are you sure?" Ash asked, noticing a bento box filled with fruit and grilled chicken, the main compartment open for the omelette rice he could smell cooking. "I can stay a little bit longer."

"Ash, you visiting me this past evening already has me happy enough," Delia replied with a smile. "We'll stay in touch, so you don't have to worry."

Once she used her spatula to scoop the freshly cooked food into the empty compartment, she sealed the box up and wrapped it in a cloth. Delia then turned around when she heard Ash's approach and accepted a hug from her son.

"Thanks, mom. I'll be sure to call again soon." Ash then paused for a moment in the embrace, thinking about whether or not to reveal the next bit of information.

Eventually, he decided to keep the promise he made to her and said, "I'm going to be competing at the P1 Grand Prix tournament this afternoon at Caesar Town." Pulling away with a smile, he added, "I'm not sure what channel will cover it, but I'd bet that it'll be on TV. It's supposed to have the best Fighting Pokémon in the region competing, after all."

Delia smiled and replied, "I'll be rooting for you and Primeape, then. Love you, Ash."

"Love you too, mom. I'll see you later."

With that promise, he left the house, Pikachu with him until the Electric-type spotted a fruit tree and briefly left to pluck one for his own breakfast. Ash began the trip to Professor Oak's, eating his meal with a disposable fork along the way as Pikachu fell into step alongside him again with an apple in his hands.

By the time they arrived, they both threw away the empty remains in a trash can at the foot of the stairs, except for the cloth, which Ash tucked into his pocket. Once they scaled the steps, Ash knocked on the front door. While he was waiting, he could've sworn that he heard some hurried muttering behind it.

It opened shortly afterward to reveal Professor Oak, "Ah, so you _were_ coming today."

"Is today a bad time?" the Trainer asked curiously.

"Not at all," the man replied while standing aside to let Ash in. "My assistants had noticed your Pokémon gathering up by the entrance to the corral this morning, so I figured you'd be by for some training."

"Yeah, there's a Fighting-type tournament today, so I'm going to be training Primeape, and I can check in on my other Pokémon too to see how they're doing."

"Very well, the corral is that way," Oak informed while gesturing to the back of the building. "Turn left down the hall, and you'll come to a room on your right with Poké Ball shelves and a machine; that's the receiving room where Pokémon come in their balls to be released upon arrival. There's a door that'll lead you outside—just push on the wood and it'll open."

"Thanks," Ash said with a nod as he left in the direction indicated.

Once he was gone, Professor Oak waited a moment before commenting to the empty room, "I think you're worrying more than strictly necessary."

A nearby supply closet opened a crack, revealing Damian peering out, "The last time I saw that kid and his Pokémon, I got burnt 'n' shocked. I ain't takin' any chances."

"I doubt he would with my word that you're attempting to reform," Oak reminded the teen. "But if you feel unready to speak with him, I suppose it's none of my concern. Just make sure you get your work done—out of sight, if you must."

"Got it," Damian answered while exiting with his clipboard in hand to record the data of the corral.

* * *

Once outside, Ash was greeted by his entire team gathered around. Even Horsea and Tentacool were out of the water, the former riding on Squirtle's back.

The Jellyfish Pokémon saw fit to greet him with a flying hug, her somewhat soggy and heavier than usual body letting him know that she was probably carrying water inside her to greet him outside the pond.

He chuckled while hugging her back. As his eyes scanned over the group, he noticed Butterfree among them. While the Butterfly Pokémon looked a bit more rested than before, there was still a slightly dour look about him. But Ash wasn't going to turn him away if he wanted to train. Some exercise might help take his mind off recent events.

Ash patted Tentacool twice to get her to let go. Once she re-joined the line-up, along with Pikachu running to the far end, he addressed his gathered team, "All right, we've got about three hours of training where I'll be able to help anybody that needs it while I'm working on Primeape for a tournament. Let's make 'em count!"

He received an affirmative reply from the sixteen Pokémon before him, their various calls overlapping into a slightly cacophonous sound-off.

"All right, we'll get groups out of the way first," Ash started before turning to Drowzee. "Drowzee, you're going to be working with Bulbasaur first, to learn his blowing counterattack. I'm calling it Great Breath, now that it's going to be between the two of you. After that, I want you to keep training Psyduck in controlling his psychic powers and see if you can work in Butterfree to give him some pointers if he needs 'em. Psyduck, until Drowzee picks you up, try learning some other moves, like Fury Swipes or Water Gun. Butterfree, you've been out of action for about a week, so try to warm up and work out any rust that might've formed."

 _'Will do,'_ Drowzee replied telepathically. Butterfree nodded his agreement determinedly while Psyduck seemed a bit more reluctant to learn other moves without getting his psychic powers under control first.

The Hypnosis Pokémon was glad to have an open assignment that would leave him time for thinking. He had examined Ash in his sleep last night to see if he could find the source of the emotional phenomenon he'd sensed during his Trainer's talk with Butterfree.

Unfortunately, examining his mind, the usual source of extraordinary powers in both humans and Pokémon beyond that of the body, only yielded more questions. There was some sort of power emanating from it, sure, but only in two small, specific points mirroring each other on each side of the brain. And as if that weren't puzzling enough, it didn't flow into the mind, granting higher thought processes like normal psychic powers. Rather, it traveled down the spine and into the boy's nerves, intertwining with his muscles and within his skeleton.

It was no more than a trickle, most likely meaning that the power was still undeveloped, but the odd flow of energy left Drowzee thinking that it wasn't psychic powers that he sensed with the odd pulse of comfort Ash had released. Teaching fledgling psychics would give him a chance to meditate on the mystery while keeping an eye on Butterfree and Psyduck's progress.

"Jigglypuff, you'll be sparring with Squirtle today to learn Mega Punch and Mega Kick," Ash instructed. "You may not have a lot of weight, but the moves should at least give you a little more sting to your blows. Also, he's an expert on flips, spins and other dodging maneuvers, so see if you can pick up some of that. While your soft and bouncy body absorbs a lot of impact, you still get knocked aside really easily, and one of the best ways to win is to not get hit. Plus, a miss will leave an opponent open for counterattacks."

The two Pokémon nodded and looked at each other. "[Hope you can keep up, turtle,]" Jigglypuff taunted.

Squirtle smirked back, "[I was about to say the same thing, puffball. I'm not underestimating you a second time, and I'm not afraid to slug a fighting girl.]"

The Pallet Trainer turned to his Fighting-type next, "Now, Primeape, I have some special training for you. You're really fast on your feet, and your reaction speed is good because you need to see where you're going."

Primeape nodded, since it was a fairly easy connection to make.

"But, as Charmeleon proved to you, movement speed and reaction speed can be two different things," the Trainer pointed out, the Flame Pokémon puffing his chest slightly. "You could move faster, even hit faster than Charmeleon, sure, but he could react quicker and dodge or block most of your punches since he's used to fighting opponents faster than him. Sure, training your movement could improve your reflexes after a while, but we don't have that kind of time right now. Bottom line: You need to train your eyes to spot faster movement than you yourself can use."

He pointed to Pikachu, Pidgeot and Doduo, who stepped from the line-up to stand beside Ash.

"You've had your fair share of spars with Pikachu, but today we're throwing you in the deep end of training your eyes and reaction time with multiple opponents. That should speed up your growth since your specialty seems to be adapting to different opponents. While most in the tournament probably won't be able to _move_ faster than you, a few might be able to _punch_ faster than you can see at your current level."

The Fighting-type snorted angrily at that thought and pounded his fists together, "[All right! When do we start?]"

"Just a minute," Ash replied after listening for Drowzee's translation. "I still have to give instructions to the rest of the team." He turned to the rest of the Pokémon, "First off, any new moves I should know about? It's been a while since I've seen some of you, and I know that Jigglypuff was asking around for help with learning new things."

A few Pokémon gave short demonstrations. Jigglypuff had mastered Bubble Beam along with Thunder Wave. The latter was achieved by rubbing her hands against her fur to build static electricity before channeling it to the ends of her nubby limbs and firing it as thin beams like Pikachu did from his fingers.

She then waved the Water Types forward and she, along with Tentacool, Squirtle, Kingler and Horsea fired Ice Beams into the sky. Horsea also turned his head and paused for a moment before shooting a concentrated ball of ink. Ash followed it and saw it hit a distant weathervane that began spinning wildly with the black substance running down the metal now.

" _Nice_ shot," Ash complimented in an impressed tone.

Charmeleon jokingly rubbed his knuckles on top of the Dragon Pokémon's head, "[You should see how he does on moving targets. I can vouch for his aim.]"

"[Stop it!]" Horsea complained lightly, even as he appeared to enjoy the affection. "[You're embarrassing me…]"

"[I've been mainly working on my fire control,]" the Flame Pokémon reported for Drowzee to translate. "[After making a wall at my Gym battle with Fire Spin the other day, I've been experimenting with making other shapes, or just controlling the fire itself to keep moving after I fire it instead of just sustaining it. So far, I can make a stream of fire appear to miss before turning it to hit the back of the rocks I aim at. I'm hoping to be able to get more out of the move soon.]"

Ash nodded, "Sounds like it could have a lot of potential. Keep working on that. Maybe I can squeeze you in a spar with Primeape later. Bulbasaur, after you finish passing on Great Breath to Drowzee, keep practicing Solar Beam. I have another move lined up for you to learn in case you finish it today."

The Seed Pokémon nodded with a confident, "[All right.]"

"Tentacool, you'll be trying to learn Acid," the Pallet Trainer said next while turning to the Pokémon in question. "From what I've noticed from Bellsprout and his evolved form, Acid is naturally in the body; you just have to find it."

"[Then I'll have it down lickety-split,]" Tentacool reassured with a beaming expression.

"Rattata, aside from raw speed and burrowing underground, you don't have much going for you in terms of evasion, so you'll be learning Double Team. You've seen Pikachu and Pidgeot learning it. It's faster than running, but not quite an Agility; just enough to leave an afterimage. Think you can figure it out?"

"[You bet!]" she replied, and ran off to get started while the rest of the team stuck around.

Ash turned to Bellsprout next, "Bellsprout, you're going to be learning a different evasion move. I looked up this move called Substitute, and it sounds perfect for you. It costs a good chunk of your energy to make, but it'll give you a decoy that can take a good strong hit, one that would probably do more damage to you than making it if you got hit directly. It also gives a boost of speed while forming it for undetectable movement. The copy doesn't last long, but it'll give you time to sneak closer to your opponent. With your vines and powders, one chance to use 'em can make a huge difference for you."

Bellsprout silently nodded, appearing to already be thinking of how to execute such a move.

Ash turned to Horsea, who'd transferred from Squirtle's back to Kingler's arm, supported by his smaller pincer. "Horsea, you're going to learn some evasion too. You _can_ learn Smokescreen, but that'd make it hard for you to see your target too. So we're going to skip that and have you get straight to trying to learn Agility. Take all the time you need to learn it, but try to exercise your speed when you can."

The Dragon Pokémon nodded, "[I'll do my best!]"

"Kingler, you're going to be learning a move called Hyper Beam," the Pallet Trainer instructed to the Pincer Pokémon. "I think you're ready now. From what I can tell, it's pure destructive energy in a concentrated blast, so watch where you're aiming during practice. Also, I think it'll take everything you have to fire it since the Pokédex mentioned that it tends to drain the user for a short time. Also, Primeape will be sparring with you after about an hour, so be ready for that."

"[Okay,]" Kingler rasped.

Ash looked around at the fifteen Pokémon that remained, "All right, you all have your instructions. If you have any questions or if you need new moves to learn, I'll be right near here training Primeape with Pikachu, Doduo and Pidgeot. Pikachu can translate in his own way, so don't worry about needing to find Drowzee."

He received the multi-voiced affirmative in reply again and his team split up with Primeape and his current sparring partners remaining. Walking a short distance away from the building, Ash pointed to the ground behind him, "Pikachu, I want you to make some lines in the dirt with Dig and follow me to make the boundaries of an arena."

The Electric-type did so as Ash walked around in a square shape, explaining to Primeape, "Unlike most battles in the wild, Primeape, there'll be special rules attached at a tournament. I've seen a boxing match or two, so I know about how big the arena is. There might be a time given to get back in, but you'll need to keep where you are on the mat in mind. For this training, stepping outside the square means a ring out and you have to start over. You need to shuffle your feet along the ground for more control instead of running and jumping like you're used to in wide open fights. Since we'll be working on your footwork and reactions, that means no attacking back."

Once the square was complete, the Pallet Trainer guided Primeape to the center and continued, "You can still jump, but like I said, watch where you are and where you'll land. Also, in this case, the others aren't allowed to use non-contact attacks. They can only use physical moves or movement boosting techniques, so watch out for Agility and Double Team."

"I'll be keeping track of the time," Ash noted from outside the arena while gesturing to his Pokégear as the other three Pokémon took up a triangle formation around the Fighting-type. "You'll be under constant attack. If you can guard against or dodge all the hits for three minutes at any time, a full boxing round, I'll call the training a success and move on to the next leg after a half-hour break. Or until an hour passes—whichever comes first. Either way, this'll give you experience."

Primeape regarded each of the opponents, tensed up to move, and let out a determined snort before he held up his fists in a ready stance, "[Bring it on!]"

"Ready? Go!"

* * *

After Misty and Brock had gotten up for the morning, the breeder immediately set out from the Pokémon Center to Scissor Street, Misty close behind since she didn't have anything more important to do at that moment.

Several people walked around the street with accessories on their Pokémon or light make-up on some of the cuter or more human-like Pokémon. Others had small outfits that accentuated their appearance without getting in the way of battling. A commonality among those Pokémon was a gold star somewhere on their bodies, whether attached to fur via a clip or fastened to one of the accessories, from fabric to a crown on a Paras. The Trainers with them also had a silver star necklace, ring or brooch to match.

As Brock looked around at the various boutiques, care of Pokémon stores and salons, Misty asked, "So… are you resupplying your breeder stuff? Getting the latest things?"

Despite not removing his eyes from his search, the Pewter Leader chuckled slightly, "That 'stuff' is more knowledge than actual supplies. I got enough things to keep us stocked for a while at the Celadon Department Store. I'm not here for a thing; I'm here for a person."

"But who?" Misty asked as they passed a star-patterned storefront with a small crowd of people gathered around and a few posters of "satisfied customers" with stylish Pokémon posed with their Trainers hanging in the windows.

Brock smiled, "One who I look up to for guidance. I want to take at least a day to learn under her and hopefully gain her approval for what I'm doing."

The redhead was astounded that there was someone the breeder looked up to considering that he was the most knowledgeable person she knew when it came to breeding.

What the two Gym Leaders didn't notice on their walk was a red haired teen laden with packages of varying sizes stacked in one hand, a few more balanced on his head and both his arms weighed down with plastic bags hanging off them. He glanced at them, but didn't seem to pay them anymore mind after that.

* * *

"I wonder where Meowth is…" James mused as he and Jessie got ready to open for the day, them along with their subordinates wearing disguises that would keep the boutique from being implicated if they were spotted in the future. Mostly they were just wigs or sprayed and styled hair for their disguises with contacts for those with unusual eye colors. Charlie had gone the whole distance with a new bodysuit, a sharp-faced woman with chestnut hair in a bun and a small bust with narrow hips, wearing half-moon glasses halfway down her nose. Evidently there was an agent of similar appearance among the ones coming as their relief.

Henry swept the floors as Charlie and Ella organized the various cosmetics for the makeovers along with the soaps and shampoos for the spa treatments. Burton was out making a supply run for the store since they'd been swamped with customers on the previous day. James had managed to make enough new outfits and accessories to replace the ones used on their opening day, but needed more raw materials to continue. Still, they didn't expect as many customers today as on the previous one, so they would still make a profit from the day's sells.

A section of the floor in the corner was curtained off into a bathing area for Pokémon while full spa chairs the Rocket agents had managed to build were beside those for the Trainers. Three mirrors were also curtained off alongside a podium for short Pokémon to stand on with racks of accessories and clothes of varying sizes stood beside them. Near the front was the namesake of the shop, the gold and silver star accessories advertised to augment a Pokémon's fighting ability and for artistic appeal, respectively.

"Knowing him, he finished setting up our machine for the tournament, but was dead on his feet," Jessie theorized. "He probably fell asleep in his pilot chair after he was done. No great loss—he would just be waiting in the back if he returned here. What's really a shame is that Frank wanted to take time off to train before competing in the Grand Prix tournament. Burton and Henry are good, but they're rookies with handling Pokémon compared to him."

When pressed for the reason why, Frank confessed that he wanted the grand prize of a year's supply of Pokémon food to send home to his ranch. Supplying money to support them was his whole reason for joining Team Rocket, so being able to win the food would go a long way towards helping them to that end, since they wouldn't have to buy it themselves.

Privately, James could tell that there was something the man was hiding about what exactly he used the money from his pay for, but he didn't pry since there were things about his own past he'd prefer to keep private.

In any case, it had been reason enough for them, so they allowed him the morning off to train up for the tournament so long as he was back in his disguise and in the boutique afterwards. They also promised to wait until the very end so that Frank could clear out after his win. After all, they wanted all of the Pokémon in the tournament to be tired out, so waiting until the champion and contender were worn down from their match was the most prudent thing to do anyway.

A clicking sound from the extra lock on the automatic doors interrupted their preparations as they saw a familiar and expected silhouette before the glass doors slid open.

Burton came in with a spare key and locked the door behind him again as he balanced the various supplies he carried. While not possessing as much pure muscle as Frank, the scout had wiry strength in his limbs, built for speed, but no slouch in power either. A red wig operated as his disguise with green contact lenses disguising his eye color.

He immediately walked up to his superiors, "Reporting in with good news and bad news."

James took the boxes off his head as Ella and Charlie took the bags filled with extra soaps, scented oils and perfumes. Meanwhile, Jessie said, "All right, bad news first."

"I spotted Ketchum's companions during my supply run," he informed. "If he's here in Caesar Town, it's a safe bet that he'll be competing at the P1 Grand Prix tournament."

"Hardly unexpected," the male Officer dismissed while taking the larger stack of boxes, leaving Jessie free to take the bags of make-up.

Ella bent backwards, letting her currently purple and curled hair dangle down as she regarded her teammate from her upside down perspective. "Why'd you think we had Meowth build that machine?" she asked before snapping up straight again. "You, me and Henry are going to sneak in as backup support and to pilot the machine. Question: How good are you at crane games?"

Raising a perplexed eyebrow at the seeming nonsequitur, Burton shook his head and turned back to Jessie, "Anyway, the good news is that with the kid focused on that, this store should be safe from prying eyes so long as we don't do anything out of the ordinary to draw attention to ourselves."

"Is that a 'not very good'?" Ella asked curiously. "Well, I guess you can rob people in the audience with your speed during the confusion…"

"Got it. Thank you for your work, Burton," James replied. "Now, we'll work as usual until noon. The tournament's at one o' clock, so you'll be 'on break' to go catch it. Jessie and I can fill in for you three, though we'll probably have to take fewer customers during those couple of hours."

Ella blew a breath out, "Good, I can't wait to wash this junk out of my hair. I prefer it soft and smooth and I _swear_ this spray is making it stiffer."

"It's all in your head, Ella," James dismissed casually while sorting through the new supplies and readying his tailoring supplies. "Jessie wouldn't stand for subpar cosmetics, whether for herself or disguise, and having uncomfortable disguises is a surefire way to be exposed."

The pilot blew a raspberry in response as she continued working, "Aye, sir."

* * *

Drowzee had managed to grasp the Great Breath technique relatively quickly, his larger body allowing for him to store the air in his lungs instead of needing to puff out his cheeks like Bulbasaur. Blowing it out of his trunk was second nature since it was how he expelled his Poison Gas attack.

Able to sense his current students training near the water, Drowzee teleported them to the boulder quarry where he'd spoken with a Pokémon early that morning to ask for his help with Psyduck's training.

Leading the way with Psyduck and Butterfree trailing behind, he approached a large, dark brown boulder that seemed to be cracked in numerous places. It stood three times taller than Drowzee in diameter, but didn't seem to be special in any particular way.

Psyduck stopped walking and said, "[Wait… That's not a rock.]"

"[Very good, Psyduck,]" Drowzee praised as Butterfree seemed confused. "[It took me a year to grasp passive sensing, and even so, I can't do it without at least minimal conscious effort.]"

The Hypnosis Pokémon then put a hand on the massive boulder and closed his eyes for a moment. It started rocking slightly with a rumbling grumble sounding from it, "Gooo-lem…"

Four pieces of the rock moved inward before sliding up and allowing brown limbs to come out, the hands possessing two clawed fingers and a thumb each while the feet that lifted the giant stone shell had four clawed toes in front and an extra claw at the heel for each one. Once it was standing, another panel moved aside on the front and a reptile-like head came out before leaning to the side as the Pokémon scratched his snout tiredly.

Once he opened his eyes, revealing one with a red iris and the other to be a finely cut topaz gem, he said in a voice as gruff as the mountains, "[Whuh…? Is it morning already?]" The Golem let out a large yawn, "[Well, guess it beats sleeping all day. What did you want again, uh…?]"

"[Drowzee,]" the Hypnosis Pokémon politely reminded. "[My student here is trying to find the upper limit of his telekinesis, and plain boulders would likely be insufficient.]"

Butterfree and Psyduck couldn't help but stare at the gemstone that took the place of Golem's right eye.

The Megaton Pokémon raised the brow of his organic eye before nodding in understanding, "[Ah.]" He tapped the gem with the claw on his thumb, "[Was rolling down a mountain in the wild once and wound up in the wrong place at the wrong time as a Geodude—lost it in a bad fight with a Beedrill Queen. I was lucky that her stinger got stuck in the back of the socket, since it gave me a chance to get a devastating counter. Showed her what for after that and never let it slow me down.]"

Butterfree nodded, understanding the danger of Beedrill – especially of a Queen, the counterpart to a Monarch Butterfree – since he'd grown up in Viridian Forest. Psyduck looked slightly nauseated at the casual talk of losing an eye by getting stung _through_ it.

"[Anyway, yeah, I remember now,]" Golem nodded before turning to Psyduck expectantly.

Drowzee turned the Duck Pokémon, gesturing towards the boulder-like Pokémon, "[I want you to try lifting Golem here while I monitor your mind. Don't worry if you can't manage it.]"

Psyduck looked nervous as his mentor walked behind him and put a finger on the back of his head.

Golem didn't look worried at all and spoke up, "[Come on, I'll be fine. You know what? Here.]" He pulled his limbs and head in again, creating a small quake as his large body thudded to the ground. The Megaton Pokémon's voice muffled from within, he added, "[There, now I'm even _more_ resilient. Go on, then.]"

Hesitantly, Psyduck's kept his hands firmly to his sides as his eyes began glowing blue. The plated boulder was enveloped in a blue aura but didn't even budge, or give any indication it was moving.

The Duck Pokémon was honestly surprised and pushed a little harder, one of his fingers unconsciously twitching.

'Interesting…' Drowzee mused as he watched Psyduck's mind work, making sure to shield his own mind to keep the thought to himself.

After a while of his telekinesis having no effect, Psyduck cut off the energy, "[I don't think I _can_ move him…]"

After popping his limbs out and standing up again, Golem put his hands on the sides of his shell and tilted his head back with an uproarious laugh, "[Son, I am just shy of one _thousand_ two hundred pounds heavy. I'd have eaten my gem if you could move me, much less lift me.]"

"[Thank you for your help, Golem,]" Drowzee said as he removed his finger from Psyduck's head. "[You may return to your usual routine.]"

"[Do me a favor and let me know if your Trainer gets any Rock-types,]" the Megaton Pokémon requested as he walked off, each of his steps creating a tremor under the smaller Pokémon's feet. "[It's been a while, even by Rock-types' standards since I've had a good battle. You doze off for a brief snooze and the younger generation's suddenly catching up.]"

Drowzee's eyes widened contemplatively at that, wondering how Rock Pokémon perceived time around them. But he shook off the tangent his mind was going on and focused back on his students.

"[So, what was this about?]" Psyduck tentatively asked.

Drowzee looked to each of the fledgling psychics, "[I wanted to confirm a theory I had about your powers. It looks like we all have or had some emotional issues to work out.]" He gestured to himself, "[Anger,]" to Psyduck, "[fear,]" and then Butterfree, "[and turmoil.]"

Butterfree didn't react outwardly since he already knew what Drowzee referred to and had talked to him and others about it. Psyduck knew as well, but didn't like where the conversation was headed.

"[While telekinesis is occasionally reported to be limitless, this is categorically untrue,]" the Hypnosis Pokémon explained, seemingly changing the subject out of nowhere. "[The mind itself places limits on how much it'll attempt before capping off for the safety of its own integrity. While those limits can be grown with training, trying to push harder can cause fatigue, blood from the nose, and eventually fainting in a last ditch effort for the mind to protect itself.]"

Psyduck and Butterfree nodded understandingly, the latter saying, "[I think I heard something from my Poké Ball about a psychic human straining himself to block an attack from the Saffron Gym Leader.]"

Drowzee nodded to acknowledge the point before folding his arms with an inquisitive tilt of his head, "[I was trying to find your upper limit, Psyduck, so that we could work backwards on your control. But you didn't shut down in the face of being unable to move Golem, or display any strain at all; you gave up before it came even close to that. I suspect that you're still holding back your true potential. With your lucidity returned, you're placing all sorts of subconscious limiters on your powers, even though you don't lock yourself up completely anymore.]"

"[Um, I thought the goal was to _control_ my powers, not let them loose,]" Psyduck meekly replied.

Drowzee waved a finger, "[That is true, but to know control, one must know limits. To push those limits means that you need to master your new level of power, but to not know them is to risk using the wrong level of power against an opponent.]" He put a hand to his chest, "[I am well aware of my limits regarding telekinesis. I try to push them regularly, but never make much progress. But I can, for example, trip up a small Pokémon, create a strong tap on a mid-sized one for an instant of distraction, or even rustle a branch to create a false lead if I'm in a more densely forested area.]"

Butterfree was shocked that his teacher knew so much about telekinesis when his own powers were so small. Given what he mentioned about anger, the Butterfly Pokémon wondered how many times he had worked himself to exhaustion trying to increase powers that would never grow.

"[I spent many months driving myself mad in an effort to make my powers grow, Butterfree, several days' worth of hours spent unconscious,]" the Hypnosis Pokémon answered. When the Bug/Flying-type flinched in surprise, he shook his head, "[No, I didn't read your mind; I simply guessed that you wanted to know and didn't have any real reason to hide it.]"

Turning back to Psyduck, Drowzee continued, "[So you see, even if telekinesis is not my strong point by any means, since I can clearly define my limits, I know the exact amount of power to use for each of those moves. By extension, I can also calculate accordingly depending on my opponent, including where such moves would be ineffective, such as in an open field or if the opponent is too tough or heavy to trip or effectively misdirect. One day, I hope to master my teleportation to the same level, able to warp as easily as breathing so that I may effectively fight with it.]"

He glanced at Butterfree, "[Time is the only medicine that Butterfree needs. I can sense your sleep being lightened now that you're no longer isolated.]" His eyes moved back to Psyduck, "[You, however, must overcome your own mental barriers to assume your true power. Once you reach that state, you'll be able to more fully control your psychic powers instead of having them as irregular bursts that may or may not be too much. Your suppressed power is still great, for sure, since you sent that small rock flying with it. But with such hesitation and fear, your power is unbalanced and bursts instead of flowing.]

"[I would recommend further counseling before you try discovering the full extent of your powers,]" Drowzee finished. "[A relapse into fear in a tense situation could result in a loss of any control gained with disastrous results. I'll request for Ash to put us together on a team so that I can be there to listen when you're ready. Until then, continue practicing your meditation; it's done wonders for me.]"

Psyduck nodded sadly and walked off forlornly to sit down and attempt the calming exercise.

"[For you, Butterfree, any psychic's basics are first to alter their perception of the world and how they interact with its other residents. Psyduck's already begun to get a grasp on telepathy, even if the execution is a little off, and seems to be a prodigy in sensing with the raw power he can put into it. You, however, worked backwards in that regard, learning telekinesis first. Learning to sense should help you refine it by allowing you to perceive psychic attacks, including your own.]"

Drowzee seamlessly switched to telepathy, _'We'll begin right away. From now on, all of my words to you will be mental so you can't track my voice, and my scent will be hard to follow with me skipping around via teleportation. Your task is to sense where I am with your mind.'_

Butterfree nodded, "[All right.]"

* * *

Misty sighed, rather bored from waiting around in the salon Brock had found. She had already spent the past half hour sorting through her Water-type Pokémon Flash Cards to make plans on which Pokémon she would keep an eye out for and what further moves she could teach her team. Playing hide and seek with Vaporeon had taken up another hour—with his ability to turn to liquid, the Bubble Jet Pokémon could take advantage of some truly impressive hiding places.

But she couldn't actually train her entire team effectively since there weren't any open areas to go without leaving the city. And her budget was still very tight from buying Vaporeon, so shopping was out. The redhead was glad that she'd managed to reach a compromise with him, but the evolved Pokémon had still been very expensive to buy. She couldn't afford to spend money carelessly.

She pulled a pink and white Pokégear out of her backpack and checked the time, finding it to be still a half hour from when Ash said that he'd be back. Not that she missed him, but his arrival would alleviate the boredom since she couldn't really keep up with all of the breeder jargon that Brock and his role model went through.

The owner of the salon, a young woman named Suzie who had teal hair down to her waist, was a breeder of quite high renown. Brock had explained her various accolades to Misty after he managed to pull himself together, the hero worship making him stumble over his words. She had earned the Trophy of Excellence at the World Pokémon Breeders' Contest for three years straight as well as being named Most Popular Breeder by Pokémon Friends Magazine for four years in a row. Her personal website on Pokémon care was also hugely popular, recording hits in the thousands every day.

While it was all very impressive, it still didn't change the fact that Misty had nothing to do, and she was warned away from Suzie's Vulpix, saying that she didn't like being approached by strangers. Though the Fox Pokémon seemed to warm up to Brock rather quickly, liking his Pokémon food and allowing Brock to pet her.

However, Suzie had been going through some problems recently since the Stellar Spa and Boutique opened up, with Trainers wanting to make their Pokémon stylish and augmenting them with the rumored Stellar Stars to supposedly increase their battle ability. She still had enough business to get by, but the success of the other salon had her wondering about her methods. Brock wouldn't hear of it and helped her drum up some business with a Pokémon lecture on therapeutic massages.

The Pewter Leader had offered up his Zubat for the demonstration, the small Bat Pokémon crooning contentedly under the treatment as Suzie explained the benefits of the treatment on injured Pokémon, pointing out that different species had different sensitive areas that needed to be handled carefully. For Zubat, the wings and ears were most delicate and needed to be rubbed with a gentle touch, a trait that carried on to its evolved form, Golbat.

Misty watched with passive interest as she wondered how to treat her own Pokémon when she heard a familiar voice.

"Um, excuse me. Sorry, I just have to get through." Ash squeezed through the crowd with Rattata in front of him, the Mouse Pokémon pointing with her front paw raised as she spotted Misty. Most of the people simply moved aside as they kept their eyes on the lecture.

As the Pallet Trainer made his way over, Brock addressed the people hovering outside the window with a microphone that led to some speakers, "There are still a few seats in the back of the room for our lecture on Pokémon care, so please feel free to come in."

Once Ash arrived and sat down at the table with Misty he asked, "What's that about?"

"Brock met a famous Pokémon breeder to study under her today and decided to help drum up some business since a new salon down the street has been drawing people with their accessories and clothes for Pokémon along with a spa treatment as opposed to her method of bringing out a Pokémon's inner strength," Misty explained. "I've been mainly waiting here since there's not much I can do around here."

"Clothes for Pokémon?" Ash asked. "Why would anybody want that? It's what's on the inside that counts. Right, Pikachu, Rattata?"

The two Pokémon agreed, and Misty gave a half-smile at Ash's conviction, "While the inside _is_ important, some Pokémon like to look nice and show off just like people do."

Looking to his two Pokémon, the Pallet Trainer could see that they were as confused on the matter as he was. "Well, I don't really get it, but I guess everybody has their own tastes," he conceded at length.

"Ah, Ash!" Brock called once he noticed the boy, approaching the two of them. "You just got back from training?"

"Yeah, registration starts at noon," he explained. "I wanted to give Primeape some breathing room to rest before heading over to sign up nice and early before the tournament starts at one o' clock."

"How would you like to get a massage for Primeape to aid his recovery?"

Ash raised an eyebrow, "It can do that?"

Brock grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the chair, "Come on, we'll show you."

"Waah, hey, Brock!" the younger Trainer protested as he was dragged to the front of the audience.

"Next, we'll demonstrate how a therapeutic massage can not only energize a Pokémon, but help them recover from a hard training session," he announced as Zubat flew to land on his shoulder.

"Wait, isn't that…?"

One of the men came forward, "It is! He has some new gear, but I recognize him from Port Hutber's special report." He shook Ash's hand, "I have a sister there; your Bulbasaur helped her and my nephew to safety. Thank you, so much!"

"If Ash Ketchum gives this place his support, it must be the real thing…" another voice in the crowd muttered.

"Uh, buh," Ash stuttered as the crowd continued to talk about him. He wasn't used to such attention.

Brock managed to place himself between Ash and the crowd, "Now, now, give him some space. As I said, Ash's Primeape is going to receive a massage to relieve the tension from this morning's training."

"Oh, wow! Is he competing in the P1 Grand Prix?" a young boy asked. He then muttered to himself, "I'd better get a ticket after this."

Ash decided to move on with the demonstration by calling out Primeape, who eyed Suzie somewhat warily since he wasn't familiar with her. She made sure to approach calmly and keep her eyes down and to the side. Once she started kneading the tension from his right arm, he relaxed slightly and faced forward again while closing his eyes.

"See how she approaches Primeape calmly to let him know that she means no harm," Brock noted. "Certain Pokémon have various quirks that need to be kept in mind. Primeape take eye contact as a major insult from all except those they're most familiar with. Closing their eyes mean that they're willing to trust you for a moment, but one bad move and they'll retaliate fiercely."

The Pig Monkey Pokémon let Suzie do her work, breathing calmly and allowing himself to be seated on a stool.

"Pokémon massages also help build trust between Trainers and their Pokémon," Suzie added, waving Ash over. "Please, your Primeape will probably be more comfortable with you. Just watch my movements and do what I do."

The Pallet Trainer did so, marveling at the feeling of his Pokémon's arm, like flexible steel under the skin. He noticed that Suzie put a good amount of strength in working the tension out and mimicked her hand movements, realizing that such hard muscles would need effort to really work out any soreness.

Primeape sighed contentedly and Ash smiled, "Does that feel better, Primeape?" The Fighting-type opened one eye to look at him and nodded before closing it again.

As the audience marveled over the Pallet Trainer being looked at in the eye by Primeape, Suzie said, "Communication between Pokémon and their Trainers is essential. These techniques build trust and bring out their personalities."

"I think Suzie will agree with me that any technique is only as good as the Trainer or breeder that uses it," Brock added.

A few in the audience that had come from the Stellar Spa and Boutique looked down at their dressed Pokémon contemplatively. If the accessories weren't made by them, was it really their work that made their Pokémon stronger?

After Suzie and Ash massaged the tension out of his legs, Primeape leaped off of his seat. He jumped up and down while shuffling his feet and delivering some rapid punches to the air before turning to his Trainer with a confident, "[All right! I'm ready to go!]"

The boy nodded back and held out his Poké Ball as he checked his Pokégear for the time, "All right, we should get there just in time for registration."

"Can I tag along?" Misty asked, walking up next to him. "Watching some good fights sounds a lot more exciting than waiting around here. No offense, Brock."

"Sure," Ash answered easily while Brock replied "None taken."

Letting Rattata and Pikachu climb up onto his shoulders from where he'd left them, Ash walked out with the crowd parting around him and Misty before moving back into place. A few also followed them from the salon since they evidently wanted to see Ash compete in the tournament.

After the Pallet Trainer glanced back at the people following them, Misty commented, "You saved a town; it's normal for at least _some_ people to have heard of you."

"Guess I didn't think of it that way…" Ash replied bemusedly.

"By the way…" the redhead started hesitantly before dropping into a whisper, "any chance you can cover my ticket? Buying Vaporeon kind of blew my savings aside from the essentials…"

He raised an eyebrow before thinking about it, "Can you teach one of my Pokémon a move?"

"Uh…" Misty flipped through her flash cards, searching for moves that her Pokémon knew that Ash might not have gotten to yet as well as the cards of Ash's own Water Pokémon. "Ah! Vaporeon can teach Tentacool or Horsea Aurora Beam. It's an Ice-type move—a multicolored beam that saps the target's strength with its cold the longer it envelops them. And unlike Ice Beam, it's perfectly usable underwater since it doesn't freeze water that it hits. **(1)** It'll be great to use against opponents."

Ash knew that by "opponents" she meant Team Rocket, and agreed with her assessment, even if the move wouldn't do much good against her personally with Water-types' resistance to Ice moves. He had a feeling that she did that on purpose, but didn't call her out on it since he also wanted her there for backup if and when Team Rocket attacked.

"Deal."

* * *

Burton, Ella and Henry stood before the Caesar Stadium, disguises off save for the clothes hiding their uniforms. The pilot had mentioned that she'd be able to sneak in to their mech through the vents, but that it would be better if the two male agents were competing to have a ringside view and be ready to move out, into the crowd for Burton and out of the line of fire for Henry.

When Henry pointed out their lack of Fighting Pokémon to compete, Burton dismissed that they'd simply mug one of the contestants for one.

After spotting a large man in a trench coat and hat with a cigar hanging out of his mouth and a Hitmonlee walking alongside him, they trailed after him as he went in to register.

* * *

Once Ash and Misty arrived at the stadium where the P1 Grand Prix was being held, the people trailing them ran ahead to get in line for tickets. Ash looked up at the massive building, wondering how Team Rocket would make their move. He had Pidgeot and Kingler in case things went horribly wrong, along with Charmeleon as backup. With Pikachu, Primeape and Rattata, he felt that the group could handle most situations the trio could throw at him.

But his train of thought was cut off by a brown-haired teenage girl with her hair tied in a braid over her shoulder and a white shirt with a purple skirt as her attire walking up to them, stopping his and Misty's approach.

"Please," she started, "I need your help."

Ash raised an eyebrow, "With what?"

"I was hoping you'd come by. Do you have a Fighting-type Pokémon?" the girl asked hopefully.

"We probably wouldn't be here if at least one of us didn't," Misty pointed out.

She nodded and turned back to the Pallet Trainer, "You're Ash Ketchum, right?" When she received a nod in reply, the girl continued, "My name's Rebecca. You see, my father is competing in this tournament with his Hitmonchan and he's become obsessed with his dream of becoming the Fighting Pokémon champion of the region. He doesn't even come home anymore; I only know he's here because he considers this tournament his ultimate goal and I saw him this morning for the first time in months."

"He's ignoring his family?" Ash asked in a low tone.

"I want you to defeat his Hitmonchan, please," Rebecca begged with clasped hands.

Misty thought about it before commenting, "Ah, if he's defeated, he might come to his senses and go back home."

"I wouldn't be so sure," the Pallet Trainer replied. "One loss doesn't break a dream. He needs to realize that his family is still important to him." He then shook his head, "If it's not, I say good riddance."

"Ash!" Misty chastised. "Don't say things like that about people you don't know!" Privately, she agreed with his point in regards to her own parents, but Rebecca clearly still loved her father and wanted him to come home.

Ash took a breath and bowed his head briefly, "Sorry. I'll try my best to knock some sense into your father, Rebecca."

"Thank you."

* * *

Giant, a man who'd traveled halfway across the east side of Kanto to participate in the P1 Grand Prix tournament, found himself tied up in a supply closet that his captors had picked open with his clothes and hat stolen, his boxers and undershirt left with him.

The boy had shuffled by him, stealing Hitmonlee's Poké Ball before he even realized it. Once the girl had jumped on his back and begun choking him, her partner had returned the Kicking Pokémon before he could do anything and locked the sphere.

After he'd lost consciousness from the lack of oxygen, he woke up moments later in his current predicament, arms and legs bound with generous amounts of rope and a long piece of duct tape wrapped over his mouth and connected at the back of his head.

Giant had only joined for the notoriety and the chance to show off his Pokémon. Now, he just wanted to get free of his ropes and gag.

The two teens that had ambushed him held his Poké Ball in front of him and the brunette boy said, "Thank you for your donation."

"We'll send you a gift basket," the pink haired girl offered in consolation before shutting the door.

Once the door was closed, Burton started fiddling with two needles he'd lodged into the lock.

"So you carry sewing needles to pick locks?" the pilot asked curiously.

He didn't look at her and took the needles out of the lock once it rotated with a click to begin hemming up the sleeves of the trench coat with a spool of thread he pulled from his pocket, "Along with a few other reasons."

Henry was keeping watch and muttered, "You two done yet?"

"Don't see why you couldn't help," Ella pouted.

"Two reasons," Henry replied with a slight frown, but still keeping his low tone. "One, I'm rather weak and would be easily knocked aside by such a large man. And two, I'm still a medic. Team Rocket may be aiming to help more than hurt in the long run, so that dances the edge of 'abstain from all intentional wrong-doing,' but I refuse to intentionally harm another person or Pokémon."

"Oh, riiiight," she replied as she thought. "Something about a doctor's vow—the Hippocritic Oath."

"Hippo _cratic_ Oath," the medic flatly corrected.

"Yeah, that."

"Henry," Burton called while tossing the hat to his redheaded teammate. "I'm done adjusting the coat; get on my shoulders and close it so that we can get moving."

Henry looked to see Burton already wearing the man's oversized boots over his feet and waiting with the lower half of the coat in his hands. The medic put the hat on his head with a sigh and awkwardly climbed up the scout's body, surprised that the teenage boy didn't even bend or give any indication of being under strain.

"Weren't you under that curse?" he asked while accepting the top half of the coat so he could button it.

Burton chuckled, "That's the kind of strength you can get from Team Rocket's field training, and I've been applying for years, passing the obstacle courses with flying colors each time. I'm _weakened_ , but that doesn't make me weak. The same could be said for our leaders if I'm in this good of a condition."

"Well, I guess I'd better get going," Ella said with amusement after watching the two dress up like a very tall person with a trench coat like she'd seen in some cartoons. "Good luck figuring out how to see where you're going, Burton~"

While the scout and medic worked out a system with Henry's feet to signal him, the Pokémon in Giant's trench coat pocket had been thinking about his predicament.

Sure, he could likely overpower a couple of humans with even half-hearted kicks at his level of strength. But if he did, he wouldn't be able to test himself against the other Pokémon in the tournament he'd been training so hard for. As for his Trainer… Hitmonlee didn't particularly care. He knew that Giant had caught him to use for his own gain, the same as the Kicking Pokémon used him to grow stronger. If he was so weak as to get mugged by two teens, then he obviously wasn't of any use to him anymore. **(2)**

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen! Our Fighting Pokémon festival, the P1 Grand Prix is about to begin!" an announcer stated from his booth, the call heard for quite a distance outside as well as echoing within the halls. "The contestants are about to enter the ring…"

Misty and Rebecca sat in the stands, watching one of the Poké Balls beside the ring with "Pokémon Number One Grand Prix" written in a gold circle surrounding it split open, the halves sliding apart like elevator doors. A platform rose from below with a muscular, tan-skinned brunet man with a red towel over his white shirt with rolled up sleeves. A Hitmonchan stoically stood beside him with his gloves held up in a ready stance.

"Introducing the number one contender, the fighting machine, Hitmonchan and his Trainer, Anthony!"

The Cerulean Leader watched as Rebecca clasped her hands hopefully while looking at her father sadly.

Once the pair stepped off the platform and into the ring, it closed while the platform on the other side rose. A gangly red-haired man wearing a trench coat and hat with glasses on his face arrived with a Hitmonlee, the Kicking Pokémon leaping into the air with a devastating roundhouse kick as a demonstration before landing on the mat and waving to the audience along with his Trainer.

"And now a new challenger sighted at a few lesser tournaments, the kicking fiend, Hitmonlee along with his Trainer, Giant!"

* * *

Ash leaned against a wall with his arms crossed while Primeape did some stretches to limber up under Pikachu's direction, reenergized back to full strength now. Apparently, as a new fighter on the scene in these kinds of tournaments, he was going last along with another man.

The other new fighter was a bulky rancher wearing a red flannel shirt, dark brown pants and a cowboy hat with his Machoke dressed in a leather vest and matching chaps over his wrestling shorts. The other contestants were stepping up with their Fighting Pokémon, an elevator platform coming down every time one went up.

Out of courtesy, Ash had kept from using his Pokédex while he and the fighters were in the same room. The Pallet Trainer was thinking over what to do about Anthony, anyway. He'd gotten the man's name easily enough from the announcer's introduction and had made the connection from seeing him and his Hitmonchan earlier in the same waiting room.

'That guy just abandoned his family for glory,' he thought angrily. 'I know that I don't see mom as often anymore, but I still make sure to call her every now and again, and I found a way to see her in person now.'

His fingers gripped his upper arm a little tighter as he thought about that. Anthony was a picture of what he could be like if he let his dreams take up all of his life. The same as another man his mother still spoke of fondly, but had never appeared in his entire life.

'I'd never let that happen,' he vowed. 'Anthony's my least favorite kind of person, but if beating him at his own game might get him to go home, then I'll destroy him.'

"New contenders," a staff member called. "You're up now."

Ash moved forward as Pikachu climbed up to his shoulder, standing on the platform as the rancher walked beside him, their respective Pokémon flanking their other sides. It started moving up as the announcer spoke.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, two new Pokémon Trainers competing here in their P1 debut!"

The platform opened and Ash smiled despite himself at the roar of the crowd, waving to them as Primeape flexed fiercely. The man beside him and his Pokémon also waved to the audience with wide grins.

"Please welcome Ash Ketchum and Johnny Barton!"

As the fighters cleared the ring, the announcer said, "All right, here are the rules of this tournament. Only plain physical attacks are allowed, no elemental moves. Movement augmentations or debilitating attacks are prohibited. Attempting to break a limb will result in disqualification. No attacking the opponent while grappling them; either force them to submit with the hold, throw them or slam them to the ground. Outside interference will disqualify the Pokémon aided. If a Trainer surrenders, the Pokémon is made unconscious, or is knocked to the mat or thrown out of the arena for a ten count, then it's a loss for the Pokémon in question."

A ten person tournament board appeared on all four Jumbotron screens at the walls, all the portrait squares blacked out with question marks over them. The first two on the lowest left one cleared, and Ash saw that he was in the first round, moving to one corner while a brunet boy in a blue shirt with his Machop approached the other.

"Now, for our first match!" he continued. "Jackson's Machop is ready to battle! Will Ash's Primeape hold up to its super strength?"

As the Pig Monkey Pokémon swung over the ropes to land in the ring, Ash took out his Pokédex to scan Machop.

 ** _"Machop, the Superpower Pokémon. Its body is pure muscle that never tires no matter how long it exercises. It can easily throw opponents larger than it with Seismic Toss."_**

"A wrestler, eh?" the Pallet Trainer mused. "Watch out for any grapples to go with those attacks, Primeape."

The Superpower Pokémon glared right into Primeape's eyes, causing Ash's Pokémon to snort furiously and pound his fists together.

Once the bell rang, both Pokémon rushed forward, Machop's hands already blurring to the point that many seemed to appear to the audience as he readied Karate Chop. But Primeape simply caught his open palms and yanked before his opponent could act and fell to his back while kicking Machop in the gut and launching him backwards upside down into one of the poles in the corners with a clang. At the same time, he used the momentum to roll back to his feet, using his round body to his advantage.

"Oh! Machop's opening offense was completely shut down! What will he do against an opponent as skilled as Primeape?"

"[Don't try tricks like that on me,]" Primeape warned as Machop rolled back to all fours and got up, "[You only have two hands.]"

The Superpower Pokémon growled and charged forward, despite his Trainer yelling, "Machop! Don't lose your temper!"

Easily sidestepping the fast but predictable move, Primeape hit Machop in the back of the head with a single Mega Punch, knocking him out after he grunted in surprise and pain.

"And this match is over! Machop is down and out! Ash's Primeape wins the battle!"

As the announcer spoke, the Pig Monkey Pokémon snorted in satisfaction that his training, rushed as it was, paid off as he held up a fist in victory to the cheering audience. While he couldn't see Machop's hands clearly, he'd been able to identify them as two blurs instead of the multiple hand illusion that he must have been going for.

'That hour of harsh training was worth it to keep from getting caught off guard,' he decided and hopped off the ring once he'd been declared the winner. 'And it'll only get tougher from here. It's a bigger world than I thought. I'll have to keep training myself if I don't want to get knocked down.'

* * *

"Our next match…" the announcer proclaimed pausing for dramatic effect as Jackson's portrait grayed out and Ash's gained a highlight on his branch before it moved up to the next level where he'd be fighting an opponent that got a bye in the fourth round. The next pair appeared on the lowest right branch, revealing Giant and Johnny, "Giant and his Hitmonlee versus Johnny and his Machoke, Cal!"

"Dammit," Burton cursed from below, "we got Frank right off the bat."

As Henry lifted the ropes to allow Hitmonlee to roll onto the mat while the rancher did the same for his Pokémon, he whispered, "Well, I guess that the goal was never to win, we want to be here when all the Pokémon are tired out." He noticed that Jackson was lingering near the ring, patching up his Pokémon so they could both watch and learn the opponents' moves and strategies.

On the sidelines, Ash hummed in thought since he'd never gotten the chance to analyze Hitmonlee. The brown Pokémon was obviously a kicking specialist, his long legs seeming to possess banded muscles, allowing the limbs to stretch out for long distance attacks. His arms were comparatively weaker, the wiry muscled limbs attached to a torso that had two eyes, much like how Geodude's face was on his main body.

Taking out his Pokédex, he pointed it while whispering, "Dexter, analyze."

 ** _"Hitmonlee, the Kicking Pokémon. Hitmonlee can extend and retract its legs at will to kick opponents from almost any distance."_**

* * *

Hitmonlee stared down his strangely dressed opponent, trying to get a feel for his approach, but getting nothing from the somewhat relaxed and open stance. Deciding to take the first attack, he pivoted on one foot and unleashed a flurry of fast kicks from the other leg, the limb seeming to vanish as it moved through the air and multiple images of his foot appeared.

Cal tightened his guard as his entire upper body was peppered with attacks from a distance, but the Superpower Pokémon didn't fall, step back or even flinch under the assault.

"[You think you're a hotshot?]" he taunted. "[I've been keepin' surly Tauros and Rhyhorn in line since I was a Machop outta my egg!]"

The Machoke abruptly closed the distance as a kick connected with his shoulder and the leg retracted for another hit. He hooked his elbow under the elastic limb before grabbing Hitmonlee's slim waist with the hand and sweeping his other foot out from under him. The Kicking Pokémon's eyes widened in shock as he was flipped through the air and planted into the mat on his head.

"Oh! A devastating grapple takedown!" the announcer shouted. "This Machoke seems more experienced than the start of the fight led us to believe!"

Hitmonlee tipped onto his stomach, but managed to catch himself on all fours instead of falling completely. He fought the dizziness as the announcer's count echoed through his mind and he pushed off the ground to get back to his feet before jumping back to get some distance, even if he wobbled slightly.

Cal casually dusted off his vest, appearing none the worse for wear despite some light bruising forming from all of the blows he'd taken, "[That's about enough free hits. If ya ain't got anything 'sides those kicks, 'fraid I'm gonna hafta finish this up. That food'll go a long way on our ranch.]"

Hitmonlee shook his head clear and tried to focus on his opponent. Kicks were his specialty, but he had a few more tricks. With a deep breath, he flexed his muscles with his legs extending fully, making him appear far taller before compressing back down as a wave of pressure seemed to distort the air around him.

"Looks like a Focus Energy augmentation; Hitmonlee is hoping to finish this with his next hit!"

"[Ain't too sure ya wanna do that, pardner,]" Cal warned with a smirk as he brushed the backs of his fingertips against the garment on his chest with an air of nonchalance. Then he took a ready stance, "[You hit me with that, an' ya won't like what happens next.]"

Hitmonlee ran forward, shuffling from side to side during his advance as he analyzed his opponent for an opening. Cal shifted around to keep him in sight, but didn't make any move to flee.

Spotting an opportunity, Hitmonlee feinted to the right as if he were about to kick, causing the Machoke to move to dodge, only for his toes to slip under the ropes off the edge of the ring and make him stumble for a moment to keep his balance. That was all the time he needed to unleash a devastating kick from afar to the torso that launched Cal against the elastic bands. He wanted to aim for the head, but decided to take no chances of missing.

But his eyes widened when the Superpower Pokémon smirked and was covered in an orange aura and used the recoil from the ropes to dash forward with a punch of his own. Hitmonlee's world exploded in pain as twice the force he'd delivered was returned to his head, a significantly larger target than his opponent's own.

He felt the mat at his back, but the world seemed to be rocking as he could barely make out the referee doing the ten count past the ringing in his skull. The Kicking Pokémon tried to pull himself up, but his limbs wouldn't cooperate.

"Eight! Nine! TEN!" the announcer called. "Knockout! A devastating Counter from Johnny's Machoke has won the match! Future opponents better watch out!"

In the meantime, Cal rubbed the center of his chest where the kick had connected, a darker bruise than the rest forming.

'Gotta admit: That hurt,' he thought. 'Better use some medicine before my next fight.'

* * *

Jaws dropped among the contestants at the complete turnaround in the fight they'd witnessed as Giant stoically returned his Pokémon and moved aside for the next round to go.

While a Machoke and a Poliwrath squared off in the ring, Ash looked at Johnny congratulating his Pokémon, the two standing with their arms over each other's shoulders in celebration.

'That man's had his Pokémon for years. From how it took that bunch of kicks, he's got high endurance,' he analyzed. 'Probably lots of battle experience too, from how he didn't use very many Pokémon moves to put Hitmonlee down.'

"If we're going to take that Pokémon on, we'll have to wear him down over time."

Unknown to Ash, Anthony had whispered the same thing to his Hitmonchan.

* * *

Once the Machoke managed to win against Poliwrath, the next rounds passed relatively quickly.

At Ash's instruction, Primeape managed to defeat a Machamp by landing Scratch and Fury Swipes attacks with tiny claws that emerged from his glove-like hands. **(3)** Each cut landed made the area sensitive since his scratches broke the skin and left it tender, meaning that Machamp was slowed down bit by bit with how much his muscles flexed with each attack, aggravating his piling wounds. The Pig Monkey Pokémon managed to finish him off with a Fury Swipes attack to the face, the Superpower Pokémon in too much pain to get back up.

Cal fought another Machoke that had received a bye and held the other Superpower Pokémon in a submission hold over his shoulders, straining his unattired opponent's back until the opposing Trainer gave up. **(4)**

Hitmonchan managed to beat another Machamp that had been paired up with him in his first bout with superior footwork that allowed him to move back and forth to dodge and counter respectively, seeming to zip back and forth, but not using any sort of augmentation that the officials could spot. Even when the Superpower Pokémon went ballistic and unleashed a flurry of punches from his four arms so fast that it was on par with Hitmonlee's kicks, the Punching Pokémon simply dodged each one as he backed off and then landed a Mega Punch that knocked the opposing Pokémon off his feet and down on the mat for the ten count.

In the seventh round, Primeape managed to win against the Machoke that had won against Poliwrath rather handily, dodging around his assaults and landing devastating counterattacks in retaliation. The Trainer soon surrendered once he saw how the fight was going, not wanting his Pokémon to get hurt in a hopeless battle.

Once he was declared the winner and the announcer said that he'd be moving on to the final round, the Pig Monkey Pokémon jumped back to Ash's side and watched with rapt attention for Cal and Hitmonchan's battle. He'd spent his time earlier pondering new maneuvers for his fighting since he didn't expect them to use their best moves against lackluster opponents. But both of them were very strong and determined, so he expected a long and hard fight to let him plan against whoever won by viewing both their fighting styles to a fuller degree.

"Now the match to decide the other finalist shall begin!" the announcer stated. "The Fighting Spirit Gym's very own Hitmonchan will take on the ranch-raised Machoke!"

"Keep on movin', keep on fightin'!" Anthony urged his Pokémon. "Remember, you're a champion!"

"Monchan!" the Punching Pokémon nodded.

The bell rang and Hitmonchan darted back and forth as he advanced, flitting from one spot to the other while his feet appeared as one solid blur.

Ash and Primeape watched as Cal advanced and barely blocked a punch to his jaw with one open hand before he closed it only to grip empty air when Hitmonchan pulled back at the same speed to move out of his range, only having connected with his punch for an instant. The Punching Pokémon knew very well that he couldn't get grabbed.

"He's shuffling his feet super fast to move from one spot to another," Ash realized. "What kind of leg strength does that Pokémon have to do that?"

The match continued in the same manner for a bit, Hitmonchan moving in quick for one or two punches and then moving out of Machoke's range. Despite not landing any hits, however, Cal was still going strong since he'd taken hits from the Pokémon on his Trainer's ranch before.

"[Ya might be faster 'n me, but lessee you keep it up with _this_!]" the Machoke said before winding up for a punch and slamming his fist full force into the ring. While the foam mat dampened the strength of the move, the wood and steel underneath trembled, causing Hitmonchan to teeter.

Cal surged forward and ignored the hasty hook to his face before grabbing and picking up the Punching Pokémon in a bear hug, pinning his opponent's arms to his sides as well.

"Hitmonchan!" Anthony called while Johnny's Pokémon started squeezing.

"Cal appears to have disrupted Hitmonchan's footwork with a seismic blow to the ring! This could be over!"

Hitmonchan swung his legs back and forth trying and failing to squirm out of the Superpower Pokémon's grapple. Then he decided he had no choice, even if he wasn't proud of what he had to do to win. It technically wasn't against any rules.

Reeling his left leg back, he kicked, striking his shin between Cal's legs. The bigger Pokémon sputtered for a moment as his eyes widened in pain before his grip slipped and Hitmonchan dashed away to the center of the ring to keep from getting cornered.

The audience booed as the announcer said, "What's this? Hitmonchan attacked Cal in his most vulnerable area to stay in the match!"

Both Anthony and his Pokémon gritted their teeth at having to resort to that, and the latter made up for it by allowing the Machoke to recover. Cal spent a few moments simply hunched over and cradling his abused groin with one hand.

The Superpower Pokémon's shoulders then trembled with rage as he growled, "[Ya'll regret that, _pardner_!]"

He whipped around with a furious expression and then his muscles seemed to tense as he used Focus Energy. Hitmonchan got ready to dodge as the Machoke jumped into the air, but his eyes widened as his opponent's arms became a blur of motion. The Punching Pokémon barely got out of the way before Cal's hands clapped together and sent a conical wave of force through the air down towards the half of the arena he'd been on, causing the ropes to bend downwards before it wore off.

"Whoa!" the announcer marveled. "What's this?! Some sort of sonic attack used with super strength? Is that allowed? Hang on… After receiving a message from the P1 Grand Prix commissioner, this particular one is allowed since it relies on strength and doesn't appear to have any debilitating effects aside from hitting the opponent."

Hitmonchan moved to dodge Cal's assault once he landed, knowing that he couldn't move too far away now, otherwise the Machoke would simply blast the area he ran to again. He jumped a leg sweep and had to punch the Superpower Pokémon's approaching hands to launch himself with the force of the reaction while he was in the air to avoid being grabbed again.

The Punching Pokémon landed and immediately had to keep moving as Cal was trying to land punches and kicks on him now. It was an area he was familiar with, allowing him to dodge and seamlessly counter while staying close.

When Cal tried punching the arena again, Hitmonchan jumped onto the ropes, hanging onto them while squatted until the tremors stopped before jumping in again to continue his assault.

As the minutes wore on, both Pokémon began breathing a little hard. Cal from the beating he was taking and Hitmonchan from the time it took to wear down his opponent. Most didn't last that long against his rapid and strong punches. And there was a world of difference between training one thing at a time and using it all at once, at full strength, for an extended period.

"This is _astounding_! Both Pokémon are still going after fifteen minutes straight of intense battle! We may need a short break after this to make the final fight fair and give the winner time to recuperate."

Cal panted during a pause in the action and said, "[Haa… I won't let you beat me… Our ranch needs that food… Every bit of money saved counts…]"

"[Haa… Our dreams are on the line,]" Hitmonchan retorted. "[I have to win, or all the work we put in will be meaningless…]"

The two Pokémon charged forward again, Cal moving his arms to try blocking Hitmonchan's punches now since he couldn't simply take them with how much he'd been beaten already. While the Punching Pokémon was tired as well, he still moved away whenever it looked like his opponent was readying to grab him.

Eventually, Cal slowed enough from the damage done to where Hitmonchan landed a three-punch combo to his face that stunned him and then delivered an uppercut that knocked him back onto the mat.

As the ten count started, Machoke lay on the ground in complete exhaustion, muttering, "[Sorry, Johnny… Nelly…]"

Before the count finished, a hand reached onto the ring and pulled him along until his Trainer supported him on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Cal," he reassured. "Ya tried yer best. Let's get outta here."

The Superpower Pokémon was still glum as his feet dragged along the ground with the rancher fully supporting his weight. He was too tired to walk.

"By surrender of Johnny, Hitmonchan is the winner and will be moving onto the final round! And now we'll take a fifteen minute break to allow the second finalist time to recuperate."

As the top branch of the tournament board became occupied by both Ash and Anthony's portraits, the lower portions fell away and it zoomed in on the top line with a fiery background as the belt appeared above it.

* * *

Brock waved another customer goodbye, the last one of the rush they'd gotten after Suzie's Pokémon lecture.

"I have to thank you, Brock," Suzie said. "You really helped out my salon, and you helped me get my confidence back too."

Brock bowed his head, "It was my honor to help, Suzie."

"But, you see… I had already decided to close the salon for a while to travel and see for myself what it truly means to be a Pokémon breeder, even before the new one opened up," she explained. "I truly appreciate what you and Ash did for me, though. It's given me new hope for the path I've chosen."

The Pewter Leader stared at her incredulously for a moment, but nodded with a sigh through his nose, "I understand. I hope you find what you're looking for."

"I'm sure I will," Suzie replied with a smile. "You've been traveling, and you're an exceptional breeder. That's why I want to ask something of you."

"What's that?"

She turned to Vulpix on the ground beside her, "You see, Vulpix had never warmed up to anyone besides me before. I want her to grow from the journey, but I feel like she'll become a better Pokémon with you than with me. You seem to bring out the best in your own Pokémon, so I'd like for you to care for her while I'm on my journey."

Brock's jaw dropped, and he looked from her to Vulpix and back to her. But his mouth closed as he appeared to consider something.

"Suzie, I'm… more than happy that you would consider me to take care of Vulpix, but there's something that you don't understand," he explained. "I assume you've seen the news report that my friend Ash was in?"

Suzie nodded, "Yes."

The Pewter Leader took a deep breath and stood rigidly straight as he steeled himself, "You see, the people who caused that giant Tentacruel to appear, a trio from Team Rocket, they're after him, along with me by extension since I'm there to fight too. They are very dangerous, and it takes a lot of power to stop them. While I'm sure that Vulpix is an excellent Pokémon, to have her along with me might make them target her like they do Ash's Pikachu. I could never put a Pokémon of yours in that much danger. They don't know about Vulpix and I'd prefer to keep it that way."

The senior breeder was shocked at his admission, "Team Rocket? They're after your friend?"

"That's why he's such a strong Trainer," Brock replied. "He needs to keep training, otherwise they'll overpower him and take his Pokémon. I'm sorry, but I can't accept your offer. I'm sure Vulpix will still be a great Pokémon under your care."

* * *

"So, you're hoping to become the champion of this tournament."

Anthony looked up to see Ash standing a few feet away, a serious look on the young Trainer's face. The man also noticed that his seemingly ever-present Pikachu was missing.

"Hope nothin'," he retorted. "I've been training Pokémon since before you were born and Hitmonchan's my star fighter."

The boy from Pallet shrugged his shoulders, "I don't really care. I'm not here for the title. So, you want to become the champion of the P1 Grand Prix. Then what?"

Anthony raised an eyebrow, "Whaddya mean?"

"What're you going to do after you manage to win this tournament? Not saying it's sure to happen today, but when you do, what after that?" Ash elaborated while walking to the ring and leaning against the elevated mat with his hands in his pockets.

The man thought about how his daughter had found him during Hitmonchan's midmorning run to warm up for the tournament. She had begged him to come home and he had said that he couldn't until he became the P1 champion.

"I guess visit home," he answered at length. "As ya heard, this here's my hometown, and it's been a while."

"That's good to hear," Ash replied. "So you still care about your family."

Anthony glared at him, "An' what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"I met your daughter, and she told me about her situation," he answered while looking up toward the distant ceiling now.

"It wasn't like I left home because I wanted to," the man argued. "We had ta get stronger, fight other Pokémon, compete in smaller tournaments to work our way up to the regional."

"And that kept you from calling with a public phone to check on your home?" Ash asked.

Anthony winced, but then growled, "Are you just trying to psyche me out before the fight?"

"I never knew my father."

The man's eyes widened as the Pallet Trainer continued, "According to my mom, he left on a journey to be the world's number one Pokémon Master. She still talks about him with a smile on her face, but I've never seen or heard about any letters or phone calls. I'm on the same journey, because I think that I'll find him while climbing to the top, punch him in the face for leaving my mom, and drag him back, even if I have to battle him for the number one spot to get him to come home. It's not because she asked me to; it's because _I_ want to. And I make sure to call her every once in a while. I even got a Pokémon recently that'll let me teleport home for quick visits a few times here and there."

Ash turned to face him with a half-smile while pushing off from the ring to stand up straight, "I just wanted to make sure that you weren't going to put Rebecca through the same thing. But Primeape and I are still going to give it our best. See you in the ring."

Anthony and Hitmonchan stared in stunned silence as he departed. The gym owner thought about what he just heard and then looked around in the audience to see if he'd find his daughter or wife. But it was hard to pick anybody out through the mass amounts of people in the stands. Would they even want to come? Hearing things from his point of view made Anthony rethink how much he'd put into trying to win the P1 Grand Prix.

He shook his head clear and then turned to his Pokémon, "We give it our all in the tournament. But win or lose, it's time to see our family again. The kid's right; it's been too long."

Hitmonchan nodded his agreement.

* * *

'There, now it shouldn't matter how the match goes,' Ash thought to himself as he came to see Primeape doing some push-ups while Pikachu counted them off from on top of the Fighting-type's back. 'Honestly, I'm not a hundred percent sure that Primeape can beat Hitmonchan in pure fighting ability. Not that I'm going to tell him that; he seems psyched for the challenge either way.'

As he arrived, he checked his Pokégear to see that the fifteen minutes were about to run out and said, "All right, Primeape, are you warmed up?"

After Pikachu hopped off, the Pig Monkey Pokémon pushed himself up hard enough to do a back flip, tucking his legs in and landing in a hunched stance before standing up straight with a determined expression.

"I'll take that as a 'you bet," Ash chuckled. Then he turned serious, "This'll probably be the hardest fight you've ever fought. Do your best and have no regrets, win or lose."

Primeape nodded and then held a fist forward. Remembering the gesture as a sign of respect in boxing matches, Ash smiled and tapped the offered limb with his own fist.

"And now for the final confrontation!" the announcer called, prompting Ash's Pokémon to leap into his corner while Hitmonchan rolled into his own from underneath the ropes and stood up. "Primeape, a newcomer who battled to this round with _tremendous_ attacks will face the number one contender, Hitmonchan! This is sure to be a match we'll never forget, Pokémon fans!"

The bell rang, but the Pokémon didn't charge, circling each other instead while waiting for the other to make the first move.

"What're we up against?" Ash asked as he pointed Dexter.

 ** _"Hitmonchan, the Punching Pokémon. Hitmonchan specializes in punch attacks that move faster than the eye can see."_**

Primeape moved first, taking slightly longer strides than normal in his shuffling to open up with a combo of punches that Hitmonchan began dodging before he was forced to block one.

"[I _see_ you,]" Primeape informed. "[You're fast on your feet, but I've fought _faster_!]"

The Pig Monkey Pokémon punctuated his statement with a barrage of furious fists that appeared invisible to the audience while Hitmonchan saw multiple images of the fists. Rather than try to guess where the real hands were, he darted back out of Primeape's range, having to tighten his guard while doing so to minimize injuries.

"Whoa! Where'd Primeape's boost come from, Dexter?"

The device pinged again as it showed a Mankey and Primeape's image split on the top with a bovine Pokémon on the bottom, the latter possessing light brown fur with a mane of darker brown fur from the peak of its back up to its horned head and three slender tails. All three looked exceptionally enraged.

The device announced, **_"Ability: Anger Point. The user induces an enraged state that boosts blood circulation, making their muscles stronger at the cost of intelligence."_ (5)**

Primeape chased after his opponent, shuffling faster than before. Since he wasn't blindly fighting, Ash guessed that he tapped into just enough rage to boost his muscles to their maximum without costing him intelligence. Since he seemed so practiced, Ash guessed he'd had a lot of experience in doing so from fighting wild Pokémon.

Anthony's Pokémon moved back in and punched as fast as he could, getting some hits through Primeape's guard, but his following Mega Punch while the Pig Monkey Pokémon got stunned was caught and he found himself flipped towards the ground face first. He threw his body to the side and rolled away once he was released as per regulations to avoid the follow-up stomp.

"The match seemed to be even so far, but Primeape looks to be turning things around!" the announcer called.

Primeape now stood with his stance more open, hands cupped and lifted slightly to his sides with his arms bent at a ninety degree angle and his face in a focused scowl instead of an enraged one, clearly trying a different fighting style. Hitmonchan tried analyzing it while standing up, but it wasn't like any fighting style he'd seen. The Machop line focused on grappling, not throws, and Poliwrath preferred strong punches, body slams and water attacks, though those weren't allowed here.

Flitting forward once more, he threw a flurry of punches with one hand only for Primeape to grab his right hand with his left before latching on with the other and spinning him around, forcing his legs to move along or get dragged. After one full revolution, he was tossed aside, but managed to roll with the landing instead of face-planting again.

"[What is this?]" the Punching Pokémon demanded.

Primeape didn't lose his focus and replied, "[I've fought more than Fighting-types. Other Pokémon have a few moves that work well once adjusted to work with a new body.]"

He moved forward this time, switching to a few moves he'd seen Charmeleon use in the spar they'd had following his evasion training and Kingler's strength training. While he lacked a tail, only a slight compensation for the center of balance was needed for the Flame Pokémon's more hunched stance.

Hitmonchan blocked the punches and stepped back from an abrupt shoulder charge as Primeape pivoted his body. But as he readied to counter, an elbow was suddenly driven into his abdomen, winding him.

"He's using moves that the others on the team use," Ash realized, recognizing that exact maneuver Charmeleon had pulled on Primeape earlier. "Bellsprout's grappling style and some of Charmeleon's more brutal fighting moves."

Grabbing hold before Hitmonchan could flee, Primeape hoisted him into the air and heard his Trainer's call, "Now, Primeape, Seismic Toss!"

Jumping straight into the air, Primeape threw Hitmonchan to land harshly against the mat on his head and shoulders once he reached the peak of his jump. He landed back down and watched his opponent.

"Hitmonchan is down! One, two, three…"

The Punching Pokémon gradually started getting up as the announcer kept counting, sitting up first before pushing himself to his feet with one hand to support himself.

"And the match is still on!"

Hitmonchan rolled his shoulders, working the ache out of the muscles from the impact he'd endured. He then raised his fists again as he stared Primeape down.

"[Seems I still have more to learn. If it weren't for those weird moves of yours, I would win,]" the Punching Pokémon informed.

Primeape shrugged while reassuming his grappling stance, "[I'm not picky about my opponents or how I battle them. I'll take on anybody with anything. I love to fight.]"

"[I'm not going to lose any other way besides a clean knockout,]" Hitmonchan stated.

Primeape regarded him for a moment before dropping Bellsprout's stance for his own, "[Bring it on!]"

The two Pokémon charged each other, both openly running instead of shuffling and their arms blurring as small waves of force rapidly appeared from their fists connecting when they met in the middle. In a blur of movement, Primeape intentionally feinted a punch that would miss so that he could slip under Hitmonchan's arm and jump to land an uppercut on the taller Pokémon's chin. When the Punching Pokémon counterattacked, Primeape kicked off his chest to launch himself a short distance away before immediately rushing back in.

Hitmonchan threw a punch that Primeape met with his own only to open his hand at the last second and eclipse Primeape's hand with his boxing glove. He lifted Primeape and slammed him into the ground, only for the Pig Monkey Pokémon to yank him to the ground as well.

"[Big mistake!]" Primeape shouted before his pupils shrunk with his deepening scowl and veins started throbbing on his forehead. Before Hitmonchan could get up, the Pig Monkey Pokémon rolled over to him and began beating him down, dragging him back below him whenever he tried to roll away or stand up, becoming a beige and brown blur that surrounded Hitmonchan, keeping him from view.

"Oh! This has to be over now! Primeape's activated his Thrash attack! There's no way that Hitmonchan can stay standing after this!" the announcer commented.

After a few seconds, Ash called, "Primeape, stop!"

His call made Primeape pause for the barest of moments, long enough to notice that Hitmonchan was already knocked out. He lowered his fists and got off his opponent.

The bell rang several times to the cheers of the audience as the announcer called, "That's it! Primeape has defeated Hitmonchan, winning by a knockout! Primeape is the new P1 Grand Prix-"

The stadium lights suddenly died down and the glass over their bulbs shattered, revealing tentacle like limbs that sprouted out, growing claws at the ends as they still had lights at the base, disorienting those they targeted with the sudden change in brightness.

Realizing what was happening, Ash quickly recalled Primeape from the arena just before one of the claws snapped at the Pig Monkey Pokémon, the robotic limb only phasing through his energy form. He held the ball and Pikachu close as two more robotic claws lingered around him, trying to find an opportunity to pry either from his grip before grabbing Ash himself, to his shock.

The other contestants' Pokémon that lingered around the ring, including Anthony's Hitmonchan who was still unconscious in the ring, got snatched up. They tried to break out but were either too tired or not strong enough.

Soon, the same theme Ash had heard in Saffron City began to play from the ceiling as an explosion opened a hole in it.

Two lights came on as an oblong mechanical structure with four extending claw legs on the bottom hooked into the stadium spotlight frame, the metal folding around it like armor, making the robotic limbs surround it like an octopus or jellyfish with the central four legs lowering again to hold it up from the ground. A window towards the bottom allowed apparent sight and was dark. The various Fighting-types squirmed in the giant hands' grip, but couldn't break free.

"Prepare for trouble," a feminine voice said from the machine.

A masculine voice added, "Make it double."

Ash continued trying to shake himself free, but his arms were pinned to his chest. But he heard a woosh of high speed movement and saw two Razor Wind blades heading for the tentacles holding him with a green blur flying behind them with glowing arms.

"To protect the world from devastation,"

"To unite all peoples within our nat-"

There was a metal screeching sound as the blades of wind opened a slight gash in the flexible metal and a bipedal green insect-like Pokémon with three spikes on its reptilian head and two sets of pointed wings on its back appeared as it cut the remainder of the metal limbs at the freshly opened weak points with long blade forearms that glowed at the edge with Swords Dance.

"Scyther!" the Pokémon cried as the limbs were cloven to pieces, dropping Ash back to the ground.

The inside of the lower window became visible as a light turned on, revealing Meowth in a miniature pilot's chair at the controls. The feline agent's eyes seemed to have bags under them as he said, "Can it, you two! Da twoip's escaped!"

"Fight back, everyone!" somebody from the audience called. "We can win! Keep up the Swords Dance, Scyther; don't get caught!"

Seeing this, more people from the audience released their Pokémon, only those large enough to make a difference with a few exceptions as some Rattata and Raticate trying to climb up the legs on the ground as the arms with the Fighting Pokémon in hand reeled in to have the hands sticking to the frame, preventing them from being cut.

Ash himself had called out Rattata, Pidgeot and Kingler, having the Bird Pokémon carry the latter and commanded, "Kingler, cut those arms with King's Claw before focusing on the main body! Rattata, climb up and try to break those claws holding the Pokémon!"

He also heard Misty call, "Staryu, Starmie, soak the arms and then freeze them with Ice Beam to slow them down!"

The arms of the machine were going everywhere trying to slap down or capture those that fought back, but there were too many. The Rattata were climbing around and chewing on the claws holding the captive Pokémon, freeing them quickly and a few Raticate slowly chewed their way through the metal hull. A majority of the free arms were also being cut down by Kingler's Strength-boosted Vice Grip and Scyther's Razor wind and Swords Dance, melted in the case of many Fire-types fueling a Growlithe that had Flash Fire, or frozen by Misty's Pokémon among a few others. Meowth eventually slammed a button, "Dang it!"

A hatch opened at the bottom revealing a rocket thruster, but dozens of vines shot from the audience as it warmed up and latched onto the metal frame covering the mech. Meowth looked to see various Rock-types such as Rhyhorn and Graveler that the lighter Grass-types had fastened themselves to. There were Ivysaur, Tangela, and Weepinbell making up the bulk with one or two Venusaur in the mix, a majority of the vines coming from the fully evolved Pokémon. Even when the rocket started going full blast, the mech didn't get far off the ground before it was pulled back down.

* * *

The feline agent cursed and turned off the microphone he had in the cockpit to mutter, "Whatta pain. Dat twoip's become an inspiration ta da common Trainers. I better tell Jessie an' James."

Twisting a handle beside the thruster button, he pulled it outward, causing multiple metallic clicking sounds to ring through his ears as he pressed another button. The center of the mech then slipped straight through the outside, leaving it behind like a shell and dropping in weight to allow faster escape as well as abandoning the haul of Fighting Pokémon to avoid capture.

"Looks like it's time for Team Rocket to blast off once again," Jessie's voice spoke irritably from the speakers, allowing them to be heard as the escape pod blasted through the remainder of the roof into the sky beyond.

James' voice added, "You may have won this round, but we'll be back!"

* * *

Ash looked up, frowning that Team Rocket had gotten away again, but he had figured from the beginning that they had some sort of escape plan in place. Pidgeot landed with Kingler being let to the ground, the aura of Strength vanishing from his claw, and Rattata returned to Ash appearing to be recuperating as she took a few deep breaths before calming down. With the spotlights down, the regular lights in the massive room turned on, allowing everyone to see again without needing to rely on the new skylight.

There was suddenly a flash on the edge of his vision and he snapped his head to the side to see a brunet photographer with a pink and red striped shirt moving around the arena snapping photos of the various Pokémon cooling down from the battle and the discarded shell of the mech as the last Pokémon were freed from it.

Misty dropped down from the stands with Staryu and Starmie floating behind her, "Well, that'll probably be in the news."

"At least mom already knows," Ash sighed.

"You told her about this?" the redhead asked incredulously. "Even when you _knew_ that Team Rocket would probably be here?"

"I promised not to hide the truth from her anymore," he explained. "Besides, even without an attack, she'd want to see so that she could cheer me on from home. This is a regional tournament; of course it's going to be on live TV."

The announcer spoke up, "Has everybody recovered their Pokémon?" After a collective and affirmative call from the contestants and audience members, he continued, "Well, this year's tournament will likely go down as one of the most intriguing in the P1 Grand Prix's history. We should all be grateful to Ash Ketchum and our lovely audience of Trainers for protecting the weakened contestants! Everyone give them a round of applause!"

As the audience members still in the stands cheered and clapped, Ash looked around and found the same man that had spoken to him at Suzie's salon congratulating his Scyther.

Ash took out his Pokédex, **_"Scyther, the Mantis Pokémon. Its claws are as sharp as swords and it is a powerful flier. This Pokémon is rarely seen by humans and almost never captured."_**

After identifying his Pokémon, the Pallet Trainer walked over and got the man's attention with a tap on the shoulder before saying, "Thanks for saving me. I couldn't have helped without your Scyther cutting me down."

"Not a problem," the man happily replied. "I'm sure you would've done the same in my position."

The announcer spoke up again once the applause died down, "Now, before we were interrupted, Ash Ketchum and his Primeape were made the champion of the P1 Grand Prix! If they could approach the ring, the commissioner will give the belt and reward."

Ash looked up to see an elderly man in a suit that seemed to have no trouble climbing into the ring, his grey hair trimmed short while his face was clean-shaven. There seemed to be a hint of musculature that implied a training regimen despite his advanced age. In his hands were the champion's belt and a Poké Ball marked with a golden "P1" emblazoned on the red upper half above the button.

The Pallet Trainer climbed into the ring himself and released Primeape to receive a respectful smile from the commissioner.

"Congratulations, Primeape, on your victory. And you, Mr. Ketchum, on raising such an excellent Pokémon." He handed over the belt to Primeape, the Pig Monkey Pokémon fastening it over the center of his abdomen, beneath his snout. "You can keep that on or store it somewhere; it has a chip that keys to the wearer, allowing it to be returned into a Poké Ball."

He then handed over the Poké Ball to Ash, "This is a custom-made cargo Poké Ball. It has your supply of top-quality Pokémon food in a multi-cabinet locker. Unless you have a Snorlax, it should last you around a year. It's one of the few balls allowed to be made due to some complex laws, so be sure not to lose it. Once the food's used up, the ball makes for a nice trophy to show you as the Trainer of a champion."

"Thank you," Ash smiled. Then he held up the ball while Primeape held his fists up in victory with the crowd cheering anew.

* * *

Anthony waded through the crowd, looking for his daughter and hoping that she hadn't been hurt in all of the chaos. If he didn't find her, he was mere minutes away from running all the way home to see if she was there. He'd already returned Hitmonchan to his Poké Ball, the Punching Pokémon having barely come to during the attack.

Spotting her through the crowd heading for the exit, he nudged his way through, calling her name, "Rebecca!"

"Dad?" she called back, turning around.

Once he caught up to her, he pulled her into a hug, "T'ank goodness you're safe! I didn't know if you'd be here, so I was looking everywhere for you."

"Dad… of course I'd come. Even if I want you home, I'd want to see you do your best," she replied while hugging him back.

The man pulled away slightly with an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry fer worrying you and your motha. Let's go home."

As they walked through the hallway, a janitor was unlocking a supply closet to collect his cleaning tools, knowing he had a big job clearing out the rubble before the stadium could call some contractors to repair the damage done to the ceiling and roof.

He was surprised to find a large man bound and gagged inside, the captive immediately giving muffled shouts and squirming anew when he sighted the potential help.

* * *

"I'm tellin' ya, da whole crowd fought back," Meowth argued. "What kinda counter didja want me ta make ta _dat_ on such short notice?" A brief pause as he listened for the reply from the other end, "All right, glad ya saw it my way, Jess. Least da twoip thought you two were wit' us. Anyway, I'm gonna go crash inta bed. I'll see ya tommorah."

Ella listened outside of Meowth's room, pouting that her debut appearance in a heist got shut down. She noticed Henry and Burton come up from the hold and said, "And where were you two?"

"There were too many Trainers for us to be of any help," Burton answered, replying to her unspoken question about their lack of assistance at the stadium. "Since we hadn't been found out yet, we decided to split up and make ourselves scarce with Hitmonlee still in our possession. Once we told him that Team Rocket could make him stronger, and seeing as he was too injured to fight back, he let Henry give him medicine for his concussion from beyond the bars of his cage and is waiting for transport to headquarters once Meowth is ready to give his report."

The pilot sighed, "Well, at least the day wasn't a total flop."

* * *

Jessie hid the walkie-talkie back in her shirt before meeting with James, whispering, "The heist failed, but this place is still secure. How long until our relief gets here?"

"Still a few more days," James informed. "Then we'll have to catch up to Ash. I've heard rumor that the hidden Fucshia Gym is somewhere east, so that's probably where he's headed."

* * *

With Rattata's nose, Ash and Misty found Brock at the Pokémon Center, Primeape proudly walking with his belt displayed the entire way, a beaming expression on his face. The Pallet Trainer had already put his prize away in his pocket.

Seeing the breeder appearing glum as he sat in the lobby, Ash walked up to him, "What's wrong, Brock?"

"Suzie had already decided to go on a Pokémon journey to learn more about being a breeder," he answered. "She asked me to take care of her Vulpix, but I had to refuse."

Ash's eyes widened slightly in understanding and he sat beside him while patting him on the shoulder, "Sorry to hear that."

Brock shook his head, "I'll be fine. It was the right thing to do." He then looked up and brightened at seeing Primeape, "I see from Primeape's belt that you managed to win the tournament. Congratulations!"

"The audience also helped fight off Team Rocket," Ash informed. "They had this big machine, but didn't get a single Pokémon from the contestants with everyone attacking and keeping them from flying away with them. They still got away by dropping most of the machine to fly off, but I'll call it a win."

Misty added, "Seems like we still have a few more hours left in the day; what should we do now?"

"You and I are going outside the city so you can teach Tentacool Aurora Beam," the Pallet Trainer reminded.

She flinched and said, "Oh, right… Ugh, fine. A deal's a deal."

* * *

 **Finally DONE! An 18,000 word monster of a chapter to effectively cover two episodes. Again, I hope that this makes up for my long absence. Also, as mentioned above in the response to Purple Pallbearer, the endnotes will now be having Pokémon lists so that readers can keep track of the main characters' teams. Those with no Pokémon will not be listed.**

 **Also, anybody who knows where the "mysterious power" originates from in Ash's brain gets a pat on the back from me. I had to research a bit to make the power source something good without it being something cheesy like the heart. I'm not really sure when and how the heart became considered the emotional/empathetic center of the body. Looking at it with ice cold logic, it's a muscle that pumps blood.**

 **Pokémon:**

 **Ash: Pikachu, Butterfree, Pidgeot, Rattata, Bulbasaur, Charmeleon, Kingler, Squirtle, Tentacool, Horsea, Jigglypuff, Bellsprout, Drowzee, Primeape, Psyduck, Doduo**

 **Misty: Goldeen, Staryu, Starmie, Vaporeon, Poliwag**

 **Brock: Onix, Geodude, Zubat**

 **Jessie: Arbok, Fearow, Beedrill**

 **James: Weezing, Mankey, Gyarados, Zubat**

 **Frank: Machoke (Cal)**

 **Charlie: Natu**

 **Notes:**

 **1\. Aurora Beam has explicitly been seen being used underwater in _The Misty Mermaid_ , unlike Ice Beam, which, by the definition of its name and function, should freeze any water it touches.**

 **2\. I just can't believe that any Pokémon would actually be fooled by the disguise Jessie and James wore to look like Giant. The only logical explanation I can come up with is that Hitmonlee knew that they weren't his Trainer and just didn't care. I mean, he seemed fine with letting them cheat on his behalf so long as he won the tournament.**

 **3\. Despite how their hands look, both Mankey and Primeape can use Scratch and Fury Swipes. My guess is that the claws appear much like Sentret and Aipom's, who also lack visible claws.**

 **4\. Specifically, the Argentine Backbreaker Rack, otherwise known as the Torture Rack in wrestling.**

 **5\. Given the anime's shaky definition of what exactly a "critical" hit is, I decided to make Anger Point an ability that can be tapped into at will. If the only real requirement is getting really, really ticked off, then it can be anything from a punch to the face to stealing the last piece of food.**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	34. Chapter 34: Steel and Sludge

**Review responses (All with questions, except for guests answered via PM):**

 ** _Lonely-Strike_** **: Lucky you!**

 ** _Snoozing Lurker_** **: While I'm sorry if the chapter was a tad predictable, I'm glad that you enjoyed some of the more detailed aspects.**

 ** _chunnin33_** **: Well, Kanto had limited Fighting-types, pretty much the whole variety being present at the tourney: Machop, Machoke (2), Machamp (2), Poliwrath, Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee and Primeape. The only one missing was a Mankey.**

 ** _The Shadow Of Zama_** **:**

 **1\. Interesting as that would be, since Hitmonlee is a rare and powerful Pokémon, they're sending him back to GQ for Giovanni to decide whether to auction him or give him ot an agent. Though with the report explaining that he's an ambitious Pokémon seeking power, it'll likely be the latter.**

 **2-3. As I said in the notes section, there's absolutely no way that Hitmonlee was fooled by Team Rocket posing as Giant, especially considering he was likely there when they took him from his Trainer. My guess was that he just didn't care. Also, in canon, he was left behind in the ring when they were blasted off by their own bomb.**

 **4-5. Yeah, I have a lot of fun writing Ella.**

 **6a. I felt that there was no way she'd sit on the sidelines like in canon considering that she knows that _dangerous_ criminals are after her son. To reflect that, she's making more appearances since he keeps her in mind.**

 **6b. He'll probably have help in unexpected places since he gives people hope and proves time and again that Team Rocket is not invincible.**

 **I'm glad you're enjoying the story. :)**

 ** _BbK2442_** **:**

 **2\. Well, a majority might of only attacked because the man's Scyther demonstrated that the machine could be damaged. There's no real correlation between them attacking and any resistance. Still, Squad 13 will report, and he'll know that Ash has become a source of hope against his organization, and yes, he does see it as a problem. I use the present tense because a leader with as much intelligence gathering as him would have surely seen or heard of the news report regarding Ash's heroics in Port Hutber.**

 **4\. The main point was that he didn't even reach the upper portion of what he could do and quit beforehand since he's subconsciously limiting himself. He wouldn't even cut loose on an inorganic object since he's afraid of his own strength.**

 **5\. I started on that because pyrokinesis seems to be a thing in Pokémon what with being able to control fire with Fire Spin, condense it into a five-pronged shape that explodes when it hits the target, or in the case of Charizard, CATCH a Fire Blast without having it explode and redirect it to fly above you. By all accounts, it should've exploded in his face unless he was holding it together.**

 ** _Engineer1869_** **: Giovanni thinks that while Ash gets in his lead squad's way that he's been ultimately more beneficial to them as a motivation to continue growing stronger.**

 **The subordinates don't have any personal vendetta against him, only carrying out their duties to Team Rocket. They've read Squad 13's mission file, though, so they know about their superiors' constant run-ins. Also, their (or rather, Jessie's) grudge cooled down after getting their promotion at great personal cost to Ash, so they don't go for Pikachu nearly as often. More like they'll grab him if it's convenient, but few plans are really centered around catching the Electric-type anymore.**

 ** _The Sinful_** **: I can't confirm or deny because spoilers for those who don't know.**

 ** _Gremlin Jack_** **: Thank you, and I was tempted, but Ash didn't encounter Hitmonchan since he was at Professor Oak's that morning to train his Pokémon.**

 ** _Foxypaws3_** **: Yeah, I wanted to include Vulpix too, but it would've clashed with Brock's character to knowingly allow the Pokémon of his role model, borderline idol, to go with him if there was that much danger. Thank you for your review, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story.**

 ** _BrightNova169_** **:**

 **4\. Thank you, I enjoyed writing him as well. Also, you get three guesses as to who he belongs to, and the first two don't count. :P**

 **6\. I just figured it to be the most logical thing since there's no way that such a huge thing like the Hutber Port attack wouldn't be all over the news, and Ash was clearly seen flying around on Pidgeot's back, something both Delia and Vincent (the student from Pokémon Tech) pointed out.**

 **7-8. Yeah, Ash has some issues regarding his father. Who wouldn't when he's a man that's never there? Even if Delia still speaks fondly of him, that just reinforces Ash's anger that his father would leave her.**

 **12\. Hitmonchan is an excellent fighter, for sure, but he focused on only learning bosing. While it makes him very elusive to hit, especially with his apparent swarmer/outfighter hybrid style, against a more versatile fighter like Primeape, his one style can be overpowered if his opponent knows another style to counter it, like Bellsprout's grappling technique which utilizes the attacker's momentum against them.**

 **15\. Since he would be heading to the coast while Team Rocket headed east, it could fool them for at least a week since they would be lying in wait for him to show up. But nine times out of ten, they're following him directly, so trying to take a different route doesn't do any good. Plus, he doesn't know whether or not they're following him at the time. He wouldn't see the point of trying to shake them off that way.**

 **16\. Gary doesn't strike me as someone who reads or watches the news. In canon, he belittles Ash without any apparent knowledge that he had won the P1 Grand Prix tournament. Also, while he's traveling in luxury, he's also probably speeding around in that car of his, so he never sticks in one place for too long, moving onto the next area to catch more PoPokémonnd train before going to another Gym to get its badge. Plus, he seems knowledgeable about Pokémon, so there's a good chance that his favorite pastime is reading instead of watching TV. He _is_ Professor Oak's grandson, after all, even if he has an ego several times his own size.**

 ** _Theseus_** **(guest): Thanks! :)**

 ** _Fox McCloude_** **: Thank you for the review, and I'm glad I could mix things up.**

 ** _some asshole_** **(guest): Probably a combination thereupon. In the tournament's case it was because they were unaware of the impact Ash had on the common Trainers, who usually fear Team Rocket. Still, he has grown powerful enough that they can't really beat him in direct battle as they are now, hence why they're training their Pokémon in secret while running the store.**

 **Also, you don't need to depreciate your own opinion. While I appreciate the acknowledgement of my final say on the matter, I also respect any and all constructive criticism. I'll take your review into account.**

 **On with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 34: Steel and Sludge

Meowth woke up from his nap sometime in the evening, checking the clock near his bed to find it reading almost six 'o clock.

The feline agent sat up and rubbed his eyes clear, even though he was still tired, muttering, "Almost closin' time at da salon. Better go ahead an' give da Boss my report."

Doing some stretches in an effort to temporarily reinvigorate him, he jumped out of bed into his shoes, his feet slipping straight in before he fastened the laces with his paws, deciding to leave his fake hands behind for now. Once he was done, he headed down towards the hold with a yawn.

Arriving at the lowest level of the ship, he saw that everything was still where it'd been left when he'd gotten back with Ella. Hitmonlee, meanwhile, was doing pull-ups on the top bars of his cage, only giving a glance to the feline Pokémon before going back to his task. Apparently, he had healed enough to exercise, at least in his mind.

Meowth raised an eyebrow with a smile, "Glad ta see ya've got motivation, Hitmonlee. Wit' da right Trainer, ya can go far in dis organization."

"[I'm aiming for one thing: to be the best of the best,]" Hitmonlee replied without looking or slowing the pace of his exercise. "[If you can give me that power, I'll let you use my strength so long as it suits both of us.]"

The corner of Meowth's lip twitched downward for a moment, the Kicking Pokémon's attitude rubbing him the wrong way. But he decided to push it aside since it wouldn't be his problem for long. Another agent might be able to get through to him once he was cleared for use by Team Rocket's tamers.

"Dat'll be up ta whoever gets ya," he informed while turning away from the cage. "Ya ain't stayin' here; yer being shipped off ta HQ."

As he walked up to the screen, he jumped onto the controls, avoiding the various buttons as he checked his reflection to make sure his fur and whiskers were in line and the bags under his eyes were gone. He also smoothed out some wrinkles in his coveralls from where they'd bunched up while he slept in them. Licking one of the digits of his paw, the Scratch Cat Pokémon polished his charm slightly before pressing the button to call Matori and hopping off the surface to stand smartly with his arms folded behind his back.

After a few moments, the black-haired secretary appeared onscreen, "Your orders haven't changed."

"I need ta talk to da Boss," Meowth requested. "Somethin' happened today that he should know _now_ instead o' when da report gets ta his desk, so he can make plans. We'll give it ta you later, when everybody's back from runnin' da salon."

Matori stared at him for a moment before nodding and pressing a button that caused the screen to go into standby. After a minute, Giovanni appeared in her place, Persian at his side.

"What happened?" the leader asked, as if he already knew that it was urgent news.

Meowth explained the past two days' events, running the salon, hearing about the P1 Grand Prix tournament, and making a plan to capture the contestants.

"We figured da twoip would be competin', and we even managed ta grab him with da hands before he could release any Pokémon, but then somebody's Scyther cut 'im loose an' everythin' went downhill from there. Da audience fought back, and we couldn't even run away since da machine got held down. If I hadn't used da emergency escape, Ella an' I woulda been caught."

"Hmm, so the boy has fostered some courage in the populace in regards to standing against Team Rocket," Giovanni mused. "This is far more telling than the Game Corner being exposed. If the common folk are fighting back in the open, I wouldn't be surprised to find a more covert operation."

"There's some good news, though," the feline agent added while gesturing behind him to the cage containing Hitmonlee. "When Burton an' Henry saw dat things were gettin' too hot, they slipped away with Hitmonlee. He's a strong Pokémon, even if he needs an attitude adjustment."

Giovanni put a finger to his chin in thought, Meowth remaining silent as he did so.

Eventually, he lowered his hand and replied, "I believe I can turn this to our advantage. Such powerful Pokémon would've been nice to have, but this defeat may lead to later victories."

"Care ta spare a clue, Boss?"

The leader chuckled, "Nothing your squad need be concerned about. Simply a new protocol – a standard, if you will – that will be introduced at the academy. I might even have to recall a few active agents for now… We'll need more Pokémon, though. I'll be having some of the other teams focus on that, perhaps dipping into the Profit Expansion Division for manpower. Send Hitmonlee over; for now, your squad will be staying where you are until your relief arrives. More than ever, do _not_ attract suspicion to our new front. Understood?"

"Yes, Boss!"

* * *

The next morning saw Ash and company on the road once again, the trio having left the prior day after Misty and Vaporeon taught Tentacool Aurora Beam. The Jellyfish Pokémon managed to pick it up relatively fast since she already knew Ice Beam, the rainbow cone of chilling light emitting from her forehead gem the same as her other beam attacks. Ash had kept her on the team in place of Kingler since they were supposed to be heading towards an inlet near a town on Brock's map and it would be a good opportunity for some training with her and the other swimmers on his team.

Plus, he got the feeling that Tentacool missed him when they were apart, so he decided that some time with her on the team might help her. Pikachu knew Dig, and she knew Water Gun to fill the hole with water, so that would make her a good enough fighter for anything besides a Team Rocket attack. Even by herself, Acid could burn a hole in the ground like he'd seen Bellsprout's do.

Brock was trying to lead them to Fuchsia Gym, but the place wasn't on any map since the Gym Leader was also rumored to practice ninja arts and kept the exact location secret. There were three roads east from Caesar Town and, unknowing of which one to take, Ash decided that they would go the northeastern one and try to comb the area by turning south if necessary.

Still, the trip had afforded Ash some time to train. Charmeleon had been eager to spar with Primeape, the latter still wearing his belt. The Flame Pokémon couldn't keep up with Primeape anymore, thanks to the Fighting-type's reaction training, but that just seemed to excite him more. With a blue tail flame, Charmeleon was pushed to his limits as he tried to stay ahead of Primeape's blows and pulled more unique moves out of his unorthodox fighting style.

Primeape had commented, "[You know, I could actually _teach_ you how to fight properly.]"

"[I try everything in a spar and go with what works for real battles,]" Charmeleon had retorted after having used a missed double hammer fist to grip the ground with his claws and handspring forward to try landing a double kick.

Pikachu had been doing his own training, trying to fine-tune the Lightning Arrow so that he could use it through one finger for better piercing power in case of emergencies. Ash getting grabbed at the P1 Grand Prix only reinforced the Electric-type's belief that he had to protect his Trainer as much as he protected Pikachu.

When he'd told Ash about it as he did his exercises with Primeape, the Pallet Trainer had made him promise to only use it in dire straits since it could seriously hurt a Pokémon he aimed at or mortally wound any human that it happened to hit on accident if it gained the sharpness Pikachu felt it would. So far, the Electric Mouse Pokémon couldn't focus an entire Thunderbolt into one finger without the electricity bursting outward as well as backfiring into the rest of his body from the pressure of it being built up. But he persevered and kept trying until it was time for bed and continued during their morning training.

Ash had forced Pikachu off of training once he noticed him swaying on his feet and relocated him to his shoulder for the next leg of the trip before lunch. The Electric-type insisted on walking by himself after that, but still seemed a bit unsteady.

Looking up as they continued on their way, with trees appearing more wilted as they went, they noticed the afternoon sky seeming to get cloudy with a dark blanket blotting out the sun. Ash wondered if it would be time to use the umbrella he got at Celadon City, but then the smell hit him as they moved on.

"Ah, gross!" he complained as he, Pikachu, and the two Gym Leaders covered their noses. Shifting his walking stick to his armpit, he unhooked his rebreather from his backpack to put on and activated it, the filters keeping out any harmful substances as the tanks filled with oxygen. Meanwhile he also took out and tied the cloth he'd saved from his mom's packed lunch around Pikachu's face to filter the gas at least a little. **(1)**

Brock had shared some hospital masks between him and Misty that allowed them to breathe easier, and they soon emerged from the woods to see that they had arrived at a bay with dark, murky water and no trees or grass for a quarter of a mile outward of both the coast and the city. The black clouds were actually emerging from smokestacks that stood up from the building.

"Ugh, I've heard of this place," Misty groaned in a disgusted tone with her voice only slightly muffled by the mask. "Gringey City used to be a thriving port town, the richest in the region, because of all of its factories."

Brock looked at the city from a distance and commented, "Looks like they went a little bit overboard on the factories."

"Everybody left after the industrialization choked the life out of the air and water," the Cerulean Leader added sourly. "There aren't any Pokémon around here since everything's so polluted."

Ash took out his Pokédex, but didn't open it as he thoughtfully replied through the rebreather's speaker, "I wouldn't be so sure. Bill said that there could be more Pokémon than anybody can imagine, and some of them might have adapted or been born with the ability to survive here." He pocketed the device, "Still, we should probably move on and camp outside. This air can't be good to breathe in."

But Pikachu was panting and swaying as he tried to keep his feet under him, electricity sparking from his cheeks through the cloth.

"Wha- Pikachu!" Ash called worriedly as he got down on one knee to catch him before he fell only for Pikachu to accidentally release some electricity that shocked him. Regardless he held Pikachu close until it wore off and he shook off the aftereffects to ask, "What's wrong?"

"We need to get help," Brock said urgently.

The trio looked at Gringey City and then Ash groaned before taking Pikachu in one arm while wedging his walking stick in its usual place against his back and saying, "Looks like we have no choice. I just hope this place still has a Pokémon Center. I'm going on ahead. Time for those running exercises to pay off!"

With that said he cradled Pikachu in both arms and took off at his full sprint. The barren ground thankfully provided even footing for him to not worry about tripping up, and his hat dragged behind him from air blowing by him.

"We'd better get moving if we want to catch up," Brock said before he and Misty ran after him at a slower pace than the Pallet Trainer.

Ash had managed to clear the stretch of barren ground in a few minutes and looked around, trying to spot any sign of a Pokémon Center. Pikachu buzzed and released more electricity, but the Trainer ignored it while gritting his teeth to ride out the pain as he decided to keep going straight along the harbor, the electricity fading again as he kept moving. While he could've gotten the rubber gloves that his mom packed, he didn't have the time to look through his backpack in his mind.

"Just hold on, Pikachu. I'll get you to a Pokémon Center as soon as I can," he reassured while still running, unaware of a floating figure that had come from one of the alleyways.

He soon spotted a domed red roof with three spires, the center possessing a red diamond with the Pokémon Center symbol in white. Putting on an extra burst of speed, he ran across the courtyard and jumped over the slight incline of the ramp in front of the entrance before heading in through the automatic door.

Once he reached the unoccupied counter, he started panting to catch his breath while repeatedly ringing a bell that sat on the surface, "Haa, nurse! Hey, nurse!"

A Nurse Joy walked out of the back room while yawning, then sleepily regarded him, "Can I help you, sir?" **(2)**

"There's something wrong with my Pikachu," Ash explained through his mask.

Yawning again, Joy took Pikachu's temperature with a finger at his forehead and found it to be normal before lowering the cloth over his face with the same finger to see his cheeks spark.

"Light electrical build-up," she diagnosed. "Let it rest overnight and it should work the blocked voltage out of its system. If it had a fever too, then you'd have something to worry about, young man." **(3)**

Ash let out a sigh of relief, looking down at his Pokémon, "That's good to hear. You'll be fine, Pikachu."

"Hey, Ash."

The Pallet Trainer turned around to see both Brock and Misty panting in the doorway before they straightened and approached him. The latter was slightly more exhausted, showing evidence of Brock's own training.

"Glad we finally caught up," Brock said.

Misty glared at him slightly, "How'd you… just leave us in the dust like that?"

"Primeape has high standards," Ash explained. "Every morning and evening, body conditioning and a run through whatever area we're in at top speed. We're trying to get me ready to fight with at least a part of his strength."

"…How are you not sore all the time, then?" the redhead asked with an eyebrow raised.

He shrugged, "I've always healed pretty fast for the small stuff. Soreness, colds, scratches; Saffron City was the longest time that I've been sore, but I wouldn't call that sort of thing small."

Brock and Misty looked at each other, having not known exactly what had happened in the Gym, but decided it would probably be better to let it drop since Ash was rather defensive of Sabrina. However, they did remember that Ash had recovered from a cold, albeit a minor one, with a day of rest and medicine. It wasn't unheard of, but far from normal.

Their silent discussion was cut off when the lights suddenly died down, the hum that seemed present in the building going silent as well.

"A power outage?" Nurse Joy questioned. Then her eyes widened and she ran into the back, "Oh no!"

Ash held Pikachu with one arm and swung himself over the counter with his other one to follow Nurse Joy while Brock and Misty went around the structure. He found her in a room with several Pokémon in machines with glass cases that had gaps allowing for air to get in.

"What's wrong?" he asked urgently.

She turned to him, "These Pokémon are in intensive care. If we don't get the power back soon… I don't even want to think about it."

"Where's the power source to this building? Maybe we can do something about it," Ash offered as Brock and Misty came in.

"The power plant to this city is further along the harbor," Joy directed. "Go back there and turn right, follow it along and you'll find a giant complex with a red-striped smokestack."

"Got it." He looked down to his arm, "Pikachu, you're coming with us. But remember, you're supposed to be taking it easy now. Stick close to me." He suspected Team Rocket was behind the incident somehow, and even if they weren't he wouldn't leave Pikachu by himself.

Pikachu nodded tiredly.

* * *

Ash had wanted to go full speed again, but Brock convinced him to stay at a pace he and Misty could follow.

"If it's dangerous, it's better to stick together," he had said.

The trio still had their masks on, Ash's stick still behind his back since they were on concrete. They eventually reached the building that Nurse Joy had described, seeing that the gate was unlocked.

Once at the front doors, which opened with an ominous creak into a dark lobby with a hallway deeper in, they looked around.

"It's pitch black without the power on, and there's no natural light because of the smoggy sky," Brock noted.

"I'll handle that," Ash replied while closing the doors to block the outside air and tossing a Poké Ball out. Charmeleon emerged a second later with a flash of light that temporarily illuminated the inside before the Flame Pokémon's tail lit the area for a shorter distance. "Charmeleon, lead the way. We're looking for whatever caused the blackout in this power plant."

"Char," he replied before grabbing his tail and holding it forward as the group traveled down the hall.

Brock looked around as Misty spotted a map on the wall, the breeder wondering, "I know this city's unpleasant, but is _nobody_ working here?"

"It looks like the central control room is further down this way," Misty said while pointing down the hall they traveled. Charmeleon nodded and continued leading them.

As they continued walking, Misty suddenly shuddered after feeling some air blowing behind her, despite there being no draft with the air conditioning down and the door closed.

"Something's following us," she warned while glancing over her shoulder to find nothing.

Ash and Charmeleon immediately whipped around, looking in all directions before glancing up and spotting a figure that was lurking near the ceiling.

It was a spherical metal ball with two horseshoe magnets on its sides and two screws on the front below its single eye, which seemed to be a white panel with a pupil displayed, and a larger screw on top of its body.

"What's that?" he wondered while keeping Pikachu in the crook of his arm to take out Dexter.

 ** _"Magnemite, the Magnet Pokémon. It's able to float through the air and emits Thunder Wave from the magnet-shaped units located on its sides."_**

"Sounds to me like an Electric-type, and that metal body probably means high defense," Ash noted. "I'll catch it. Charmeleon?"

Charmeleon grinned and got ready to spit a Fire Spin to trap Magnemite, only for the mechanical Pokémon to approach Ash, seemingly uninterested in combat.

"[Hey! Keep your eye on the battle!]" the Flame Pokémon demanded as Magnemite started orbiting Ash with a metallic eyelid making its stare seem longing. After no response, a vein started throbbing on his forehead, "[Are you ignoring me?]"

"Hold that thought," Ash said, calming Charmeleon as he switched out Primeape and Rattata, bringing over Drowzee and leaving one slot open in case he got the chance to catch Magnemite.

As he did so, the Magnet Pokémon stopped circling to hover next to Pikachu, and seemed to overheat, turning slightly red at the sight of him.

Drowzee emerged a moment later and took stock of the situation, seeing a new Pokémon. _'Need me to run translation?'_ he asked.

"Yeah," Ash replied. "This Magnemite came to us, and seems really interested in Pikachu."

He tried reading the Magnet Pokémon's mind, but drew a blank since the Pokémon was mechanical and its mind was built differently than he was used to examining. While it did possess a physical one that gave off a reading to his psychic senses, the interior was completely unfamiliar to him.

Deciding to go with more traditional communication, he asked, "[Excuse me, may I ask what you wish to say to my Trainer?]"

Magnemite's eye returned to normal and it seemed to notice that there were other people for the first time since it had arrived. But before Drowzee could say anything else, the Magnet Pokémon floated away, disappearing from the glow of Charmeleon's flame.

"Was it something you said?" Ash asked.

 _'I don't think-'_ Drowzee's eyes widened and he wheeled around, causing everybody to tense up. _'Be on your guard. Something's coming.'_ He seemed to mutter a curse out loud before running forward slightly and sitting down with his legs folded as a grate crashed down from where they'd been earlier. _'A lot of them. Charmeleon, behind me!'_

Knowing that the situation was urgent, Charmeleon quickly got behind the Hypnosis Pokémon, his head and shoulders above Drowzee's body. He wasn't sure what exactly his teammate had planned, but trusted his judgment almost as much as Ash's.

Piles of purple sludge started raining down, each of them forming a blobby Pokémon with short arms and eyes above an open mouth. Each of them started aggressively shouting "Grimer!" Charmeleon groaned in disgust as their foul smell assaulted his nostrils.

 _'Wait for all of them to come down,'_ Drowzee warned.

Pikachu, Brock and Misty covered their noses, their respective face covers not helping to filter the smell from such a short distance. Ash, fine because of his rebreather, held his Pokédex forward, "Dexter, analyze!"

 ** _"Grimer, the Sludge Pokémon. It is born when sludge in a dirty stream is exposed to rays from the moon."_**

"That bay must be a big breeding ground for 'em, then," Ash mused while looking at them. Then he noticed a bigger form rising in the back and pointed Dexter again. The giant blob looked similar to Grimer, aside from narrower eyes, a relatively larger mouth and three rudimentary fingers on each hand.

 ** _"Muk, the Sludge Pokémon, and the evolved form of Grimer. Use extreme caution as its slimy form contains poison."_**

 _'Now!'_ Drowzee telepathically signaled while taking a deep breath.

Charmeleon shot his strongest Flamethrower, controlling it to keep it from reaching the walls and ceiling, and Drowzee unleashed a Great Breath mixed with Poison Gas that amplified the flames due to it catching on fire as well. From the Trainer trio's perspective, it looked like Drowzee was blowing a Flamethrower two inches from the end of his trunk, where the two streams met before they swept over the horde of Sludge Pokémon.

"They must mean trouble if Drowzee attacked right away," Ash guessed.

Drowzee replied telepathically, _'These Pokémon are here to take over the city since it's so polluted and seemingly empty. They plan to reduce the place to a poisonous swamp that won't be inhabitable by anybody but them. That's why they cut the power; they want any humans confused in the dark while they can navigate by smell.'_ **(4)**

"How can they do that when their own stench should cover everything up?" Misty complained, the smell of burning sludge arguably worse than their natural smell.

"Well whaddya know?" Ash muttered. "For a change, this situation has nothing to do with Team Rocket." While they technically hadn't been behind the Tentacool and Tentacruel's attack on Hutber Port either, their interference had made the problem far, far worse.

Unfortunately, both Charmeleon and Drowzee had to stop to breathe, and a giant stream of Sludge came right for them. The Hypnosis Pokémon grabbed Charmeleon's ankle and teleported them back, away from the attack as it splattered on the ground.

Muk had hunched over the back lines of Grimer, protecting them with its body while the front line was burnt and unconscious. He was panting as well with his body steaming from the intense heat he'd endured, but pointed forward regardless.

"[Get them!]"

The Grimer surged forward, but a Poké Ball hit the side of Muk's head before he could move and sucked him in once it converted him to red energy, causing the bunch of Grimer to pause in shock as they turned around to see the ball fall to the ground with a metallic click.

One of them tried to grab it as it wriggled, but it floated up out of their reach. Drowzee had his finger pointed upward as he used his telekinesis to lift the sphere while keeping an eye on its glowing red button. The Grimer were piling on top of each other in an effort to get it, but it rose still higher until the light went out, signaling a completed capture.

Drowzee crooked his finger inward and the ball floated over to his Trainer as he said, _'Clever move, taking their strongest fighter right away. We can handle the rest. Dual Flamethrower once again, Charmeleon!'_

The Grimer panicked and tried launching a group Sludge attack, but Charmeleon sent a batch of small flames with Ember that detonated them prematurely, causing a chain reaction that reached the horde of Sludge Pokémon and stunned them long enough for Ash's Pokémon to set up their combination move again.

Once the Dual Flamethrower died down, the Sludge Pokémon were all unconscious with the smell of burnt sludge in the air. Charmeleon put his fists on his sides and raised his chin in pride before turning to Drowzee with a smirk and saying, "[Clever move, Drowzee.]"

 _'All in a day's work, but the power's still out.'_

Ash nodded, "Right, we need to get a move on, or those Pokémon at the Poké Center won't make it. But keep your senses out, Drowzee, there might be more Grimer and Muk lurking around."

"Hello?" a new voice called from further in the hall as a flashlight shone. "We heard the commotion. Is everybody okay?"

"We're fine; what's going on here?" Ash called back. "What caused the power outage?"

Two men wearing gray and blue uniforms, one with brown hair and the other with dark green hair, came into the scope of Charmeleon's light. The green-haired one with the flashlight explained, "The Grimer in the bay are clogging the seawater intake to the generator."

The brunet worker's eyes widened as he looked at the unconscious Grimer, "You did all that?"

"Yes," the Pallet Trainer bluntly replied in an effort to save time. "Point me at where the Grimer are blocking the water, and we'll take care of them."

"Follow me; the generator room's this way," the green-haired man said. Then he turned to his colleague, "You go get Officer Jenny to move these Grimer back to the bay."

After leading the trio down a maze of corridors, they indicated a busted metal door where the Grimer came from. Drowzee held up his hand and then put a finger in front of his lips. The Trainer trio tiptoed forward and saw what he'd been warning them about.

The interior was an expansive room with a massive generator and a small canal that was exceedingly shallow. Over two dozen Grimer and several Muk lurked about, unaware of them for the time being.

Slowly backing away from the door, Ash quietly asked, "Any chance that equipment's waterproof?"

"Not all of it," the worker answered regretfully, "Some sensitive components could be damaged if it gets waterlogged."

"So Surf's out, then," he cursed.

"[I think we can take 'em in a full out attack,]" Charmeleon said.

Drowzee shook his head, _'We had a narrow corridor to get all of them in a single attack before. That advantage is missing here.'_

"Why haven't they destroyed the generator, though, if they want the place dark?" Misty asked.

Brock shrugged, "Maybe they don't have the power. They _are_ mainly sludge, after all."

"But we need them out of here," Ash stated. He then took out his Pokédex, staring at it contemplatively. 'Should I use one of my emergency calls? Lives are on the line!'

"Magnemite."

The group turned in surprise at the mechanical voice and saw a Magnemite approaching from down the hall, several other Magnemite seemingly bound in triplets behind it, making eighteen of them with six bundles.

"Is that the same Magnemite from earlier?" Misty asked in disbelief.

Brock nodded, "And its evolved form, Magneton. They must be its friends."

"Magneton?" Ash wondered as he opened Dexter to point it at the united Pokémon.

 ** _"Magneton, the Magnet Pokémon. The evolved form of Magnemite. This Pokémon can emit powerful magnetic and electric fields."_**

The Magnemite spoke to Drowzee, who nodded and turned to the humans beside him, _'Magnemite says that clearing out the Grimer is in their best interest as well, so to let them handle things.'_

The floating Pokémon all moved through the door in single file after Magnemite led the way and knocked the metal slab aside to make room for its evolved companions.

Intrigued, Ash walked up to the doorway and watched, along with Charmeleon, as the Magnet Pokémon seemed to get into a formation with Magnemite at the center. A blue field of electricity seemed to pulse around them before the voltage shot out everywhere, zapping all of the Grimer and Muk at once while the electricity seemed to curve and avoid the machinery. It also surged out towards the clogged intake channel, zapping the Grimer until they backed off, the Sludge Pokémon within the room fleeing as they squeezed through the bars individually or in pairs to get away.

With the Grimer at the grate gone, water flowed in again and the generator slowly hummed to life before the lights came back on.

The worker looked inside and sighed with relief, "Good thing the boiler was untouched; otherwise there'd be no steam to turn the turbine."

Magnemite looked to Pikachu again and seemed to turn red with heat again. The Magneton left, one of them commenting, "[To be young and unsure again. What a change for our ward.]"

"[If Magnemite feels ready to leave our creator's protection, that's perfectly normal,]" another agreed as they went into the vents. "[How strange for a biological Pokémon to be emitting a magnetic charge, though, much less one that happens to sync with Magnemite.]"

Ash approached Magnemite, "Thanks for bringing help, Magnemite. We owe you one."

"[Yeah, thanks,]" Pikachu added from his Trainer's arms, still buzzing with electricity.

The Magnet Pokémon seemed to fidget in the air slightly and then spoke to Pikachu, "[Forgive me if I seem forward, but… May we share electricity?]"

Once Ash got the translation, he and Pikachu looked at each other while the mechanical Pokémon seemed to turn even redder in the air from apparent embarrassment.

"[…Sure?]" Pikachu answered hesitantly, confused at the apparent significance but not wanting to turn down a request since Magnemite had helped them.

The Magnet Pokémon seemed to beam, the pupil turning to a crescent to express its happiness. Ash let Pikachu stand on his own and stepped back while Magnemite hovered down to his Pokémon's level. It moved its magnets forward to touch Pikachu's cheeks, much to his confusion, and then the Electric Mouse Pokémon felt something in him shift.

To give perspective, Magnemite as a whole normally courted one another in an asexual way by sharing electricity in small bursts, cycling it among the two of them through their magnets, which they could control the charges of to make them lock together. This helped the two Pokémon develop a bond by allowing them to analyze each other's unique electric signature. Due to being machines, and thus having no physical sex, they didn't pursue each other for physical characteristics, but attracted one another by unique magnetic signals when they sought company.

Pikachu was currently releasing magnet like signals due to being blocked up with electricity, and caught Magnemite's attention. However, due to his pent-up state, he was releasing electricity uncontrollably even before Magnemite tried drawing it out for sharing. And he had been trying to hold it in the two times he'd zapped Ash. But once it had started coming out, there was no stopping it, lighting Magnemite up with a massive charge of his electricity. In addition, the mechanical Pokémon was relatively "young," as in it hadn't been assembled and sentient for very long compared to others, meaning that Pikachu's electric power, already large for his kind and trained extensively, dwarfed its own.

In traditional terms, the Magnet Pokémon had tried to initiate a chaste kiss and received a full-blown make out with tongue that struck into its very soul. Entirely accidental, but that didn't register to its overwhelmed mind.

Once the electricity stopped, Magnemite stiffly fell back to the ground, its magnets falling limp to its sides as its already small pupil seemed shrunken further in a catatonic state. As Pikachu dazedly shook his head clear from having so much electricity drawn out, Ash, his friends and Pokémon, and the power plant worker gathered around the fallen Magnet Pokémon. The Electric Mouse Pokémon joined them shortly after, moving more smoothly now. Magnemite had drawn all of his backed up electricity out.

With a curious gaze, Charmeleon extended a hand to poke Magnemite in the side, making its spherical body rock to the side before it settled back into place completely unresponsively.

"[I think you broke 'em…]" he commented in a half-surprised and half-impressed tone.

Drowzee's eyes narrowed as he focused his senses on the mechanical Pokémon, _'Well, they're still alive, but I can't tell you more than that. Mechanical minds are still a mystery to me.'_

"[It was an accident!]" Pikachu muttered worriedly.

Magnemite started stirring a moment later, blinking its metallic eyelid before its pupil seemed to refocus and it turned red again as it overheated. As the group backed away to give the Magnet Pokémon space, it cooled down again before rolling upright and turning to Pikachu with a half-lidded gaze of longing. While it couldn't sense the magnetism that attracted it anymore, now it knew the kind of electricity Pikachu had very intimately.

The electric mouse's eyes widened warily as Magnemite started floating while staring at him and he took a step back only for it to start approaching him. He then turned around and ran away on all fours with Magnemite chasing him around the room.

"[Catch it, catch it, catch it, catch it, catch it!]" he repeatedly called to Ash, who started rifling through his backpack since he already used the spare ball on his belt for Muk.

"Looks like Magnemite really likes Pikachu now," Misty commented bemusedly.

The worker shook his head, "But such a thing as a mechanical Pokémon falling for an organic one is unheard of!"

Brock hesitantly added, "I think Pikachu might have accidentally mated with it just now. It's mechanical and seems to like electricity, so I can't think of any other explanation."

Charmeleon was trying to stifle his snickers, "[Am I the only one who finds this hilarious?]"

 _'It is a rather humorous sight,'_ Drowzee privately communicated to the Flame Pokémon with telepathy so the others wouldn't hear.

At that point, Magnemite caught Pikachu off guard by descending from above when he tried running around some machinery to lose it. The mechanical Pokémon hugged him with its magnets and excitedly spoke in its machine monotone with a beaming expression as it felt Pikachu's residual static on his fur.

A Poké Ball hit it a moment later and encapsulated the Magnet Pokémon, pulling it right off Pikachu's back to his relief before snapping shut once Magnemite was inside. He ran back to Ash and scurried up to his shoulder, watching the slightly shaking ball carefully from a distance. He only relaxed when the red light dimmed and the ball was warped away to Professor Oak's lab.

"You do know that I'm gonna have to train Magnemite eventually," Ash pointed out.

Pikachu shuddered, "[I'll try not to think about it until then.]"

Then he held up a Poké Ball while looking down at it, "Muk will probably be more difficult to handle, though, so I'll work with them first." The Pallet Trainer turned to his two companions, "You two go check with Nurse Joy to make sure everything turned out okay. I'm going outside the city to try and get to know Muk."

They nodded, and Ash hooked the ball back to his belt before taking two more out and pointing them to Drowzee and Charmeleon, "Thanks for your help, Charmeleon, Drowzee. Return."

The two Pokémon nodded as the beams connected with their chests and called them back into the spheres.

Ash, Misty and Brock split up once they exited the power plant, passing by Officer Jenny, who thanked them for their help. The Pallet Trainer looked around as he walked, already having checked Dexter to see Muk was male. Multiple Magnemite and Magneton hovered around the city now, apparently on patrol, especially around the bay.

'This city must be one big nest for them, and they protect it like Beedrill guard their hive tree,' he mused. 'At least I don't have to worry about the Grimer launching another attack.'

Once he was outside the city, and in the barren ring surrounding it, he took off his rebreather since it would be rude to wear it in front of Muk, no matter how bad the smell might be. Plus, he wanted the evolved Sludge Pokémon to see his face and know that he was genuine in trying to befriend him. Regardless of their circumstances in meeting, Ash would still try his hardest to earn Muk's friendship, or at least his respect. He hadn't caught a pure Poison-type yet, and Muk's fully sludge body intrigued him with the possibilities it presented for battle with a little creativity.

Despite the fact that he could smell Muk from his Poké Ball already, Ash tossed it forward, "Come on out, Muk."

As the Sludge Pokémon materialized, the Pallet Trainer was hit with the full force of his stench and he forced his face to stay straight and didn't cover his nose, despite the fact that his entire body shivered with repressed revulsion. He managed to bring himself under control, though, and regarded Muk seriously as the blob of toxic sludge opened his eyes.

"Hey," Ash greeted. "I know we got off on the wrong foot. But I couldn't let the Grimer take over the city. Pollution aside, Pokémon were being treated at the Poké Center and would've lost their lives from you all cutting the power."

Muk's eyes widened in slight surprise since Gringey City always seemed largely uninhabited, but he narrowed them again when the Trainer raised an eyebrow at his reaction.

"Magnemite and Magneton are actively guarding the city now, since they live there too and live off the electricity that runs through the place," Ash continued. Then he smiled slightly, showing that he meant no harm, "If you don't want to come with me, Pikachu and the rest of the team, I'll release you right now and you can join the rest of your kind back in the bay in peace. Or, if you want to see more of the world than this place barren of plants, people and Pokémon, you can join our team for a fresh start."

Muk was surprised at his offer, since he and the rest of his kind were normally treated with much disgust, but gave it some thought. With the attack failed and a horde of powerful Pokémon he and the rest didn't know about out of hiding to guard the place, he really had no reason to stay. The other Muk usually competed along with him for the most followers in the river to absorb the most territory, so his Grimer would gladly be taken up by others looking to take his turf. Really, going back at this point would probably be more trouble than it was worth. And a dirty bay got boring after the first few months, and he'd lived there years as a Grimer.

He carefully regarded Ash and nodded his consent. The Sludge Pokémon also noticed that the boy was standing rather stiffly, along with Pikachu covering his sensitive nose. Rolling his eyes, he made his body shift in make-up to have a denser layer of sludge on the surface so that his substance stopped dripping and the stench was contained within. It was more of a defense mechanism than anything else. **(5)**

Ash noticed the scent be wafted away on the wind and only smelt the pollution from Gringey City now. His smile widened, "Thanks for giving me a chance, Muk. Glad to have you on the team. Would you prefer to walk with us before we make camp for the evening, or go back in your ball?"

Looking up at the polluted city and then glancing back to see greenery just past the barren circle, Muk gestured over his shoulder with a nub pointing like a thumb.

"Walking it is," the Pallet Trainer nodded. "We just need to wait for Misty and Brock."

* * *

That evening, Ella alerted the leaders of the squad over the intercom that they had a call from Giovanni. After scrambling downward and straightening themselves out, they pressed the button to answer. Meowth had already told his partners what he'd told the leader, and now they presumed that his verdict on their only marginally successful mission was here.

Giovanni appeared onscreen with Persian absent.

"Good evening, Boss," the trio greeted with a bow.

"Despite your failed heist, it seems that I managed to turn it to our benefit," he stated. "A rise in average challenge calls for a rise in agents' proficiency. I've been looking for an excuse to raise the training bar for quite a while. Grunts got captured far too often for my liking as it was, even if they could usually escape and don't know anything. As for you…"

The trio remained silent, hiding their nervousness behind stoic faces as their leader let the pause drag for a moment and leaned forward slightly in his seat with one elbow rested on the chair and the other arm across his lap.

"In light of your previous record and the extenuating circumstances with the audience, I'm willing to let you off with a warning. But I am going to send you two Pokémon which should afford you some crowd control that your current teams cannot provide," Giovanni informed, his tone letting them know that it was a rare allowance that they _should not_ rely on and that he expected success with the extra help.

He sat back in his chair to continue, "They're color coded with stickers to indicate which is for whom based on your teams' compositions. They are fully conditioned to obey Rocket agents, and the one for you, Jessie, has had its irksome berserker tendencies to the color red trained out of it. Why Pokémon Tech didn't do that merely for the sake of teaching students about that predisposition, I'll never know."

"Thank you, Boss," Jessie said with another bow, hiding her relieved look.

James held his hand to his chest while bowing as well, "You can rest assured that we won't let you down again at such a pivotal point."

"I would expect not," the boss replied. "Get to know them tonight. Tomorrow, your relief should arrive and you can return to your field agent duties. That is all."

Once the screen turned off, the trio let out a collective breath of relief while Meowth muttered, "Dodged a bullet."

The transporter whirred to life and two Poké Balls appeared on the platform, one with a magenta sticker and the other with a blue one. Jessie and James took their respective Poké Balls with a nod to each other.

They released their Pokémon at the same time, the two energy forms solidifying into moderately tall Pokémon.

Jessie's was bipedal, yellow Pokémon with a somewhat feline face, its fur marked with black stripes, one of which was shaped like a lightning bolt on the front of its chest and down its belly. The Pokémon had long arms with five fingers, its fur jagged at the elbows, and comparatively shorter legs with two clawed toes and an extra claw at the heel. Its head was somewhat oblong with pointed cheeks and two spikes of fur at the crown with an antenna-like protrusion flanking each side of them. Even with its mouth closed, two fangs pointed out from the sides of the Pokémon's mouth and a striped tail waved behind it. The female Officer recognized the Pokémon as an Electabuzz.

James' new Pokémon was around as tall as Electabuzz, possessing a thick flower at the top that made it stand a little under the Electric Pokémon's antennae despite its somewhat squat, dark blue body. It had nubby arms and legs that allowed it to move around and hold things, beady red eyes anxiously peeking out from the fringe of its red petals with a single large spot on each one and a few smaller ones sprinkled around it. It was a Vileplume. He stiffened at first, but relaxed at the different spots on the petals compared to another he'd known. The small differences helped separate the two, the same as Jessie's blue eyes made her different from a similar green-eyed woman he knew.

While each of the Pokémon regarded their new Trainers, they had different reactions. Electabuzz looked Jessie up and down as if familiarizing himself with her appearance. Meanwhile, Vileplume suddenly cried out joyously with a beaming smile and ran forward to hug James' legs, one of the petals folding upward from her nuzzling against him.

Both officers looked at the display in slight surprise while Jessie commented, "Well. That one seems to like you."

The Flower Pokémon pulled away and gestured to herself, "Vile-ile, plume!"

James turned to Meowth who translated, "Vileplume said dat ya saved her."

He pursed his lips in thought and then his eyes widened in realization, squatting down to be eye-level with Vileplume, "Ah, so you're one of the scoundrel's former Pokémon. How are the others?"

"[Most of them are already with other humans,]" the Grass/Poison-type replied. "[It's just me and a few others that are being regularly visited by their future Trainers.]"

"It seems we'll be working together, then," James noted with a smile after Meowth's translation. "I can trust you to help our cause?"

Vileplume nodded surely, "[Of course! I owe you my life.]"

The Electric Pokémon idly wondered what the story was behind her meeting with his new Trainer's partner, but turned to Jessie, "[Do you have a Pokémon for me to battle so that I may demonstrate my abilities?]"

After Meowth translated, Jessie regarded him, "You seem rather polite for your appearance. Comes with working at a school?"

"[How kind of you to notice, and yes.]"

"Very well, talking's more James's thing; I'll get more of an idea of your prowess from a spar," she replied, taking out a Poké Ball. "Your opponent will be my most experienced Pokémon, Arbok."

Electabuzz readied himself with his long arms drawn in, ready to punch, as James took Vileplume aside.

* * *

Pikachu lay still in Ash's sleeping bag as everybody slept.

Misty had reacted with shock that Muk was allowed to roam, requiring Ash to come between the two before Muk could decide to retaliate in some way. After explaining that the Sludge Pokémon had decided to turn over a new leaf, he asked Misty to apologize to Muk. She grudgingly did so, and the Poison-type decided to simply ignore her as he slithered alongside Ash.

Once you got past the poisonous body and surly exterior, Muk seemed mainly curious about the world and going with Ash, so Pikachu was willing to give him a chance. Besides, he could control his body so that it didn't emit poison, allowing him to touch and examine things like bushes and tree trunks on the way.

In the end, Muk decided to rest in his Poké Ball since he was used to releasing conscious control of his body shape while he slept, resulting in a puddle or taking the shape of whatever he happened to sleep in. The Poké Ball was actually rather comfortable for him since he was shrunken and thus filled only a majority of the lower half while sleeping.

After a few moments of silence passed, Pikachu opened one eye, making sure his Trainer was truly asleep before slipping out and thanking his luck that Ash was still a heavy sleeper.

Looking around to make sure that his leaving hadn't woken anybody in the camp, he snuck off. While overdoing his training before had led to getting backed up electricity, he felt that his electric stores were even more potent than before, like when a sore muscle healed up stronger. He felt that he could learn the move he'd been working on now, with his ability to channel electricity boosted.

And if it wasn't, Pidgeot would make sure he didn't overdo it. After the last time where he had to bring him back to camp when Pikachu thought he had snuck away undetected and fell over from exhaustion, he knew Pidgeot would be listening carefully for the amount of times he tried and any pauses.

Once he thought he was far enough away to ensure that nobody else in camp would hear him working, Pikachu climbed up to a tree branch and took a deep breath to focus. Pikachu felt his electricity flow through him, no longer needing to channel it along his fur, but straight through his insides to his hand. Holding one finger out, Pikachu concentrated it into the digit, the pressure still there, but more bearable than before.

His finger felt like it was heating up and seemed to glow yellow in the dark for a moment before he released the energy. A needle-thin shot of electricity, as wide as his finger, shot at a stick on the ground, appearing as a solid line for but a moment from how fast it traveled. And while the Lightning Arrow had a bang sound, this one had a small boom, like a miniature thunderclap.

Once it disappeared as quickly as it came, Pikachu looked down to see that the stick had been cleanly pierced, a small bit of ash around a thin hole and the two ends of the stick were on fire.

'Glad that I didn't try it on a tree,' he thought while staring at his finger in awe. 'I'd hate to have needed to call Ash about a forest fire that I started.'

Still, he made sure to jump down and blow out the flames before they spread. As he did so, he tried thinking up his own name for the attack.

He mused on the nature of the attack, and how it appeared like a thin stream of light while heading back to camp.

"[Needle Ray,]" he decided.

* * *

 **Notes:**

 **1\. A place as polluted as Gringey City would be unpleasant, borderline harmful to smell. The only reason Team Rocket, the contestants and people within the city are able to breathe easily is because the former two are used to bad smells from repeated exposure (training for the crooks and habit for shady folk), and the latter because they've lived there for an extended time.**

 **2\. While the episode in Gringey City seems to take place at night, with the ending being in the morning since it shows visible daylight, that doesn't make sense to me. There's no explicit reason for Ash and co. to be traveling at night since they typically sleep at that time. With the rampant smog in Gringey City, it's believable that the sun could be blocked out except in the morning and sunset since the sun is at the horizon at those points. Therefore, the setting is in the afternoon, and the Nurse Joy there is just lazy because of the lack of business and the typically automated treatments for Pokémon, aside from the severe cases.**

 **3\. I wrote out the cold since it's never touched upon again, while electrical build-up is.**

 **4\. The Grimer and Muk never have a motivation in canon; they're just aggressively attacking Gringey City for no reason and target Ash and co. specifically because Misty insults their stench. It can't be because the bay's polluted—if anything, they'd attack if it was being cleaned. So, this is my reasoning behind their attacking. The scent thing is a borrowed trait from Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers, since Grimer/Muk is in the IQ group that can learn Acute Sniffer.**

 **5\. Later, for some unexplained reason, Muk's stench doesn't seem to bother anybody. This is my reasoning on A) Why, and B) The reason that any Trainer can tolerate owning a Grimer/Muk.**

 **Pokémon:**

 **Ash: Pikachu, Pidgeot, Charmeleon, Drowzee, Muk, Tentacool, Kingler, Squirtle, Horsea, Jigglypuff, Bellsprout, Primeape, Psyduck, Doduo, Magnemite, Rattata, Butterfree, Bulbasaur**

 **Misty: Goldeen, Staryu, Starmie, Vaporeon, Poliwag**

 **Brock: Onix, Geodude, Zubat**

 **Jessie: Arbok, Fearow, Beedrill, Electabuzz**

 **James: Weezing, Mankey, Gyarados, Zubat, Vileplume**

 **Frank: Machoke (Cal)**

 **Charlie: Natu**


	35. Chapter 35: Something to Protect

**Review responses:**

 ** _Snoozing Lurker_** **(Answered via PM):**

 **1a. Well, glad that I could throw at least one curve ball at you. You're a rather hard one to please, not that it's a bad thing. I consider it a challenge.**

 **1b. Indeed he would be, but they're also notorious for their stench so not a lot of people want to raise one. Team Rocket has a few distributed among them, among the higher ranked members. Petrel himself owns one, even though he doesn't go into battle much. It's a relic from his early days with the organization.**

 **2\. Who said that all, or even a majority of the Pokémon would come from thieving activities.**

 **3\. Nope. As of right now, he's completely unaware and uncaring of Ash's exploits.**

 ** _Fox McCloude_** **: I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter, and thanks again for posting the Spanish translation.**

 ** _BbK2442_** **:**

 **1\. True, that'll be a long term change in the background, most likely. Unless the Elite Four purge the bay of Grimer. But even if they did, they'd just reform time and again as long as Gringey City kept creating pollution that's dumped into the water.**

 **3\. True, Ash has his rebreather for Sleep Powder, Stun Spore is ineffective if washed away with water, and we've discussed over PM's that humans likely have an extremely high resistance to poisons from their ancestors likely eating Pokémon who are reportedly extremely poisonous due to all of them being able to learn and use Toxic. And even so, the powder bombs would only catch him by surprise once at best. I say at best because he's extremely wary of _any_ projectile thrown by the TRio, especially James.**

 ** _ruboo001_** **: Yeah, James was always my favorite of the TRio, closely followed by Meowth, the comic relief. :P**

 ** _The Sinful_** **(Answered via PM): They do seem stronger than average humans in real life. BbK2442 and I talked about how it's possible that they all have latent aura within them that gives increased durability, and in this case, strength, especially when angered. It's just that very few have the potential to manipulate pure aura.**

 ** _Accalia_** **(Guest): Maybe, and I'm always happy to answer questions. Ash, as he is now, presents me with a fork in the road at all times, depending on what his options are in any given situation and how I feel he would choose given his experiences and developing personality. But yeah, if Team Rocket managed to take any of his Pokémon, he would chase whoever did so to the ends of the Earth, and likely do anything to get them back.**

 ** _TheShadowOfZama_** **:**

 **3\. Muk can eat anything that he can digest, which is a very long list. Basically, anything he eats gets polluted and/or rotted until it's more sludge that he uses to make up his body and fuel his attacks. From gourmet foods to mud from the ground, it's pretty much all the same to the Sludge Pokémon.**

 ** _Engineer1869_** **(Answered via PM):**

 **1\. Indeed. First he had Squad 13 coming up with new gadgets to be mass produced in order to aid them, but he knew that they were weak in direct battle. Team Rocket in canon is more oriented to covert missions than open combat. With the proof fo fear from the average trainer being gone – or at least diminished – he can justify increasing their training. And he waited for said proof to make it easier for the grunts to understand.**

 **2\. Yes.**

 ** _Theseus_** **(Guest): Thank you, I pride myself on the development of my characters. :)**

 ** _Cjonwalrus_** **: Do you remember what happens in _Dig Those Diglett_?**

 ** _Chriswriter90_** **: Possibly, but it's never really confirmed one way or the other. Literally the only two moves that Starmie is seen using are Water Gun and Tackle. She could've known more, she could've not.**

 ** _BrightNova169_** **(Answered via PM):**

 **3\. As stated above, he never said that all of them would be gotten via thievery, just that they neede more Pokémon and more manpower to get said Pokémon. If a ripe opportunity for thievery presented itself, then I'm sure he'd have his agents go for it, but there are plenty of wild Pokémon. Sure it'd be slower to train them up, but it'd be thinking in the long term as they'd be up to par in a few weeks. However, Giovanni is hesitant to try "encouraging" breeding among the Pokémon they catch since forcing that kind of thing tends to only breed resentment. Even if two Pokémon got together in a stable, taking the egg from them would be arguably worse than forcing it in the first place.**

 **4\. It didn't occur to him until then. He might be more clever in battle, and more perceptive than in canon (though that's a pretty low bar), but some things still slip through. Like he's admitted himself, he's not the brightest person around in terms of intelligence.**

 **5\. It's not. From the Pokédex entries I used for research in that regard, it's merely a sign of their adrenaline spiking, considering the "strong opponent" requirement. Charmeleon and Charizard are very much a warrior-like species, after all.**

 **7\. Aura is not finite per se. Well, using too much all at once can be fatal, but aura users do not have a set amount that they can use in a lifetime. So long as they give it time to replenish, there's no threat to their lives, and passive effects like that are hardly even a drain.**

 **9\. Poké Balls are not magnetic. If they were, they would've been snatched any of the many times Team Rocket thought to use a giant magnet to try catching Pikachu.**

 **13\. He would only use it if he was aiming to seriously injure somebody. It's somewhat impossible to misfire something that requires as much prep as concentrating that much electricity into a single finger.**

 ** _0 Jordinio 0_** **(Answered via PM; Ch. 2): Fair enough, nobody is forced to like this story. You gave a fair assessment, and I started this while accepting that it wasn't for everybody.**

 ** _Foxypaws3_** **: Yeah, I added it in after thinking about how Magnemite would react to so much electricity.**

 ** _GreyPhantomSith_** **: Thank you very much, I'm glad that you enjoy. :)**

 **Now, on with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 35: Something to Protect

The next morning, Ash and company woke up at the sunrise once again, Ash noting that it was coming later since autumn was beginning to run its course. Still, he continued his exercises under Primeape's instruction, having switched him in for Tentacool since it seemed it would be a while until they were near the water again. The Fighting-type led him and Pikachu on a jog while Ash had a compass he'd gotten from the Celadon Department Store to find his way back after jogging in a straight line.

Going east on the off chance that he'd find Fuchsia Gym while on his run, Ash wove his way through the trees and bushes having to duck and dodge branches that Primeape pushed out of the way to snap back while maintaining his speed. His Pokémon was doing that on purpose as he ran directly in front of him, making it reflex training in addition to building endurance. Pikachu was easily able to keep pace with Ash and was too small for Primeape to effectively plan the same traps.

As they kept going, Ash noticed that the Pokémon seemed to be getting fewer and farther in-between, most of them seeming to be giving Primeape a wide berth when they were visible. But not so many were out in the open, as if they were hiding from something.

'Something doesn't feel right,' he thought suspiciously. 'When was the last time I saw a patch of forest without Pokémon?'

The answer came too late when the trio came into a clearing and saw a Fearow and a small flock of a dozen Spearow gathered atop a giant tree.

His eyes widened as he skidded to a stop, Primeape and Pikachu surprised as well that they'd come across a nest of Pokémon. Hostile ones, if the angry look in their eyes was any indication.

Pikachu tried to hit them with a widespread Thunderbolt to take them down quick, but the birds immediately scattered and the tree was struck instead, flaming leaves coming down as a result of the blast while the wood was scorched black.

"[Bah, this shouldn't take long,]" Primeape muttered while hitting his fists together. Flying-types or not, he had a distinct power advantage over them and could anticipate their movements with his trained eyes. And Pikachu did have a type advantage and was even faster than him, so he could probably take them out quicker.

The birds swarmed the two Pokémon and Pikachu was already charging electricity to his fingers, two pointed from each hand, since they had managed to dodge his standard electricity, taking two of them out with precise strikes. Primeape ignored the scratches and pecks and gave measured strikes to try landing punches on each of them that would knock them out in one blow, if his first hit landed was any indication.

But they wound up ignoring their respective battles when they saw movement over their heads and turned back with fearful expressions.

While they had been occupied with the six Spearow, the rest of the flock and Fearow moved past Pikachu and Primeape, attempting to swarm around Ash. The Trainer's eyes widened before he dropped his backpack and ducked down, rolling to the side to avoid their swiping claws while Pikachu had turned around firing Lightning Arrows at the Tiny Bird Pokémon with sharp accuracy, taking four of them down in rapid sequence. Primeape jumped to tackle the two remaining ones out of the sky along with the Fearow, but the evolved Pokémon sped away, dodging his assault. The three remaining Spearow that they'd been fighting, now no longer occupied, moved to attack Ash again.

As the Trainer tried to protect his eyes from his lower position, he saw Fearow zooming towards him with purpose after breaking away from Primeape, a swirling cone of wind seeming to gather around his beak. Primeape had easily knocked out the two Spearow in his grasp and gave chase, slowly gaining. He felt more than knew that the move was dangerous, and realized that he couldn't dodge in any effective way from his current stance with the speed Fearow was approaching.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt us!" he called hurriedly.

Rather than slow down, the Beak Pokémon attempted speeding up with Agility, becoming a brown blur to his eyes as Pikachu turned from the four he downed and noticed that the Beak Pokémon had escaped Primeape. He didn't waste time with questioning the order and sent a massive bolt of electricity at Ash and the immediate area surrounding him.

But Fearow was ahead of the electricity and Ash acted on instinct, clapping his hands together where he felt the blur would be. The sharp beak was inches away from spearing his chest as he barely stopped it, causing the Beak Pokémon to give a muffled squawk in surprise while Ash gritted his teeth in pain at multiple cutting sensations in his hands and the strain in his muscles from the force pushed on them.

A moment later, the Thunderbolt came down, zapping the Trainer, Fearow, and the remaining Spearow. Pikachu kept it up, unsure if it would be enough to take out the large bird since he demonstrated high power and cunning for a wild Pokémon. He only needed a few more seconds, though.

The instant Primeape caught up, he yanked Fearow away by his tail feathers while ignoring the shock of the attack before gripping the bird's neck so hard that he strained for breath. Pikachu immediately cut off the electricity then, and the Spearow surrounding Ash dropped down unconscious. The boy himself hunched forward, cradling his hands close to his chest since the shock was largely ineffective against him aside from a few burns. His starter rushed towards him, closely guarding Ash while looking around to make sure all of the hostiles were down.

Meanwhile, Primeape whipped Fearow over his head and slammed him into the ground, picking him up again to repeat the move until he was sure that he couldn't move. After that, he threw the Beak Pokémon to the ground and furiously made his way over.

Raising his foot over the prone bird of prey, he growled, "[Let's see you attack anybody without _this_!]"

Stomping down, the Fighting-type's rage-enhanced strength effortlessly crushed the bones in Fearow's wing joint to splinters. Beak open and eyes wide in a crow of agony, the Flying-type passed out shortly afterward from the pain.

Primeape snorted remorselessly before making his way back to his Trainer. Ash was trying to hide his hands in his pockets from Pikachu, saying, "Pikachu, it's just a couple of scratches. What matters is that you stopped Fearow before the worst happened."

The Fighting-type, however, reached out without ceremony or permission and pulled one of Ash's hands right out of its hiding place, revealing that the boy had been holding them loosely inside his pockets. Evidently having them closed or opened fully caused him pain, and the Pig Monkey Pokémon could see why.

Catching Fearow's last attack had made a long gash across his palm where the sharp beak had scraped against at high speeds, cutting through the glove which was little more than tatters around the afflicted area. There were also smaller cuts and abrasions from the wind that had been surrounding the beak, some intersecting with the main one and making the corners of cut skin begin peeling away as blood flowed slowly from the wounds. Primeape suspected that the other hand was in a similar state.

Releasing his hold and whipping around furiously, the Fighting-type made his way over to Fearow once again intent on breaking his other wing.

But the touch of a hand stopped him. Looking down, he saw that Ash had the back of his hand against his arm, not wanting to get any blood on him. It shouldn't have hindered him in the slightest, but he paused.

"Primeape," Ash said in an effort to calm him. "It's over. I'm still here, and this'll heal."

The Fighting-type reluctantly relaxed his posture, but had mixed feelings about the situation. While he was proud of Ash being able to stop the surely lethal move long enough at the last moment, there was anger and unsettling realization tainting the positive emotion. Before now, Primeape believed teaching Ash to fight to be largely redundant since the boy was constantly accompanied by his team of Pokémon that could fight off hostiles better than him. The fact that he was attacked without getting the chance to release any more Pokémon, the whole exchange over in less than a minute, revealed that it was clearly a justified decision.

Primeape was angry with himself for letting the flock of birds get past him and even angrier at the Fearow that had dared to try killing his student. He wanted to mangle the Beak Pokémon beyond all recognition. Ordinarily, he wouldn't bother striking a downed opponent since there was no real fight involved, but he wanted to make an exception.

Looking into Ash's eyes, though, he sighed and settled for kicking a bit of dirt over the evolved Pokémon on the ground before turning away.

Ash nodded before looking around at the unconscious Pokémon, "If we're getting near Spearow territory, especially such hostile ones, we might wanna get out of here. We don't wanna push our luck. Once we have some distance, I'll bandage my hands before getting back to camp." He looked at his largely tattered gloves stained with blood from his hands, "Well, these are ruined. Good thing I got a better pair at Celadon."

* * *

Five minutes after the Pallet Trainer left with his Pokémon, another figure emerged from a distance away among the trees opposite of where he was heading.

The black and grey male uniform of one of Team Rocket's grunts identified his affiliation as he approached the scene. The only difference from other agents was that he had a different belt, possessing large pouches for holding things. His hair was teal and appeared styled into crescents at the sides of his head beneath his hat, one half pointing forward while the other curved around to point back. His eyes were emotionless save for a vague sense of annoyance sparking in them.

Walking around the unconscious Pokémon, he approached Fearow and squatted down to lift his head with a gloved finger. The action began stirring the Beak Pokémon, who still appeared to be in intense pain. Once it made eye contact with him, the bird looked down, immediately contrite in the face of his passionless owner.

"I might've kept you since raising a strong Fearow to replace you for these missions would take time. But you know as well as I that no amount of surgery will let you fly at full capacity," he stated. "You're broken."

Fearow didn't meet his eyes again, though the Flying-type's own seemed to narrow with self-loathing through the pain.

The agent reached into one of his belt pouches with his free hand and held up a round black pill between the thumb and index finger, "Though, for your long and excellent service to Team Rocket, I'll ease your pain."

Looking at the medicine, the Beak Pokémon nodded with a resolved expression and let the gloved hand lift his head further before slipping the pill into his mouth. He felt it start dissolving on his tongue as he swallowed, everything from the pain in his wing to his bruises going numb a moment later. As his heartbeat lowered, the anxiety gave way to acceptance while Fearow closed his eyes, the soporific side effect of the medicine taking hold. A quick, painless death with dignity was far better than being left handicapped in the wild to die from lesser Pokémon or starvation.

Fearow's heart stopped shortly after he fell asleep, passing from the world without struggle.

Letting the deceased Pokémon's head drop to the ground, the agent stood up and retrieved thirteen shrunken Poké Balls from one of the pouches in his belt. He hit the release mechanism on the balls of all the Pokémon he'd used—he had plenty more Spearow and Fearow, though he made a note to catch replacements the next chance he got.

The Pokémon the balls were attached to were invisibly disconnected, the process also erasing all of their memories of its time with Team Rocket in case of a psychic scan, though that was moot for Fearow. The particular balls that he used were also specially designed to suppress a Pokémon's reservations of violent acts, if any existed.

Only a handful of them were given out to minimize risk of discovery. To his knowledge, only he and one Elite Officer had them, the latter only because he rose through the ranks by ruthlessness and wanted his Pokémon to be weapons that wouldn't question his orders. He had been trying to push for an obedience compulsion, but Giovanni had shot the idea down, saying that any operative that couldn't control their Pokémon with the added risk of reduced inhibitions obviously had no business possessing the special balls. That had shut the man up rather quickly, though he wasn't happy about it.

Putting the empty balls away, he started moving on from the area, effortlessly going to a full sprint further south. The boy would be reaching the next town soon, even if he stopped to tend to his injuries. The agent wanted to get ahead to set up another attempt.

* * *

Brock had been concerned about his friend's fingerless gloves being replaced with a layer of bandages on each hand, but Ash had explained that it was just a wild Pokémon attack that was cutting things a bit close. The breeder felt that he was understating things from how Pikachu refused to leave his Trainer's shoulder and seemed extra cautious and vigilant.

Regardless, he kept his silence after making sure that Ash had cleaned the wounds properly. Evidently, he'd purchased a first aid kit at Celadon City too. But the breeder resolved to not let Ash out of his sight for the foreseeable future.

While Spearow _were_ aggressive, they usually only attacked if hunting, looking to expand or acquire new territory, or if provoked—otherwise they squawked and mainly drove away intruders rather than attacking so ferociously. And Fearow were the pinnacle of a flock and acted the part; they rarely moved to get their own claws in an intruder or opponent unless it proved to be a major threat.

'Something's off about that attack,' he decided while moving slightly behind and to the side of Ash, perfect for discreetly keeping an eye out. 'That doesn't sound like something Jessie and James would do, but they're probably mid-level authority at best.'

The idea that someone higher on the chain of command than them was after his friend unnerved the breeder. He decided to keep his suspicions to himself, though, since he didn't have any definitive proof and didn't want to add to Ash's paranoia just when he finally started settling back down.

As they reached Marché City, a popular trading center in east Kanto due to its central position, he resolved to stick close to the Pallet Trainer to be an extra set of eyes on the lookout. Ash had decided to try asking around to see if he could find any rumors about Fuchsia Gym's location, or at least the general area since they appeared to be wandering with no idea if they were headed in the right direction.

* * *

Once he'd spotted his target coming in, he'd started moving along the rooftops of the buildings, a grappling hook gun and special harness over his body that extended sails between his arms and waist, allowing him to climb up to higher roofs and glide down from high jumps to lower buildings. Very few people looked up, and he had his face covered along with a baggy outfit with a hood tightened over his head to disguise his body shape and hair. Even if he was coincidentally spotted, nobody would know his affiliation.

They had come in from the north on one of the main roads that were paved to allow cars easy access to enter and exit in the eight cardinal directions. Once inside, they took a meandering route through the walkways that were solely for pedestrians. Noting the route they were taking, he set up a portable camera pointed to the site of a potential accident. He couldn't be seen watching, but this equipment connected to a viewing device in his belt let him confirm the kill before leaving without a trace.

After it was online, he used his grapple gun to pull himself up to the rooftop over the location, where a metal window washer platform hung on two rusted chains by a pulley system and a worker was innocently tending to his task as the trio of young Trainers headed in his direction.

The assassin pulled out a tool of his trade, a plastic gun with a syringe of corrosive acid in its chamber that would weaken the metal to the point of snapping instead of dissolving it outright. Since it was essentially a high-pressure squirt gun, it had a short firing range before gravity or wind resistance changed the trajectory. But it was made for close-up sabotage anyway.

Timing it to be just right, to have the three Trainers underneath the platform about to head to its center before it fell, he squeezed the trigger and aimed for a particularly rusted spot.

Once the first chain snapped, the platform fell from the worker's feet, hanging by its single chain now as he was prevented from falling by his harness. He looked up, but Proton had already fired another shot higher up the second chain and moved away from the ledge. He took out his small screen to confirm the kill. The second chain snapped and his target had barely looked up as the platform came careening down, far too fast to dodge.

'Die. For the future of Team Rocket.'

* * *

The first snap of metal had gotten the group's attention, causing them to look around before the second made Ash look up to see a mass of metal falling towards them. Before he could act, though, an arm swept over his chest, he and Misty pushed back and out of the way to fall as they reeled back. Brock was still off balance from shoving them with all his strength, and the Pallet Trainer's eyes widened as he fell to the ground.

There was no way that Brock could save himself in time, and the breeder seemed to realize this as he braced himself.

"Brock!" Ash called desperately right before the platform would crush him.

The metal structure was suddenly stopped in midair half a foot over Brock's head, the chains also suspended. Gawking at the sight, Ash looked around and spotted a familiar face further down the street while the metal structure was righted and lowered to the ground a distance away with the two chains bundled up and placed on the platform.

Sabrina was leveling a focused look on the platform as it was set aside, the psychic evidently having caught it without much effort. She wasn't in the same outfit that they'd seen her in last time, having a mid-sleeved soft blue sundress with gray leggings and black flats.

Brock fell to his knees, panting as his narrow avoiding of death caught up with him. Ash and Misty got up and ran to help him. Sabrina approached them as they did so and a force field appeared around the group as people started gathering from the commotion of the incident.

Ash looked up to her first, but felt his world shift when he met Sabrina's eyes.

* * *

 _Sabrina's eyes snapped open, the Gym Leader taking a deep breath through her nose as the darkness of her quarters in the Saffron Gym was the only thing in her sight. While sleep wasn't necessary to a psychic as powerful as her, the therapist had recommended that she at least try. Mainly she used it as a way to pass through the hours of the night without teleporting through time. Now that she was more aware of it, nights seemed long and lonely with everyone else asleep._

 _She slowly sat up, the covers rolling away with a minor application of telekinesis. While it wasn't unheard of for psychics to receive prophetic dreams, this one was her first, and she didn't like it at all. Still, better to be aware of it._

 _Stepping out of bed in her modest night gown, a trace of her old impersonal demeanor showed through as she carelessly swept a hand towards the blankets, returning the bed to a pristinely made state._

 _Her vision momentarily blurred until she stood before her sparse closet in one set of her casual clothes, her Leader clothes hanging in there as well._

 _She took the time to hastily scrawl a note to her mother and left it on her desk before turning away and beginning a chant that she had learned from her parents to aid her psychic abilities. While it was wholly unnecessary as she was now, it helped her keep anchored to her sense of self._

 _Focusing her mind, she continued the chant as her eyes glowed red, searching for the location that she saw by scouring the region with her remote viewing, starting from Celadon City and moving from there, her window of vision zooming around as she combed for the exact spot. Once she found Ash asleep at his campsite northeast by east of Celadon, near an extremely polluted city, she moved south from his position since that seemed to be the path he was following._

 _'I need to be very careful. That foul presence at the edge of my dream, it was deliberate in its actions. My face is known as well as my powers. A moment too soon and it'll change its actions, meaning that my interference may be meaningless. Too late, and…'_

 _She shook off the thought as she found the place where her vision had occurred. Able to perfectly recall her vision with her psychically aided memory, Sabrina saw the Pokégear on Ash's wrist from her dream for the time and date._

 _'I must be discreet until the moment it happens.'_

 _Gaining a blue aura around her as her eyes brightened with power, she turned to light before vanishing without a trace._

* * *

Ash came out of the vision with a gasp, disoriented after having seen through Sabrina's eyes, having heard her thoughts at the time and knowing things that she'd known.

"Ash, what happened?" Misty asked in concern.

The Pallet Trainer shook his head clear and answered, "Sabrina just answered why she was here."

The psychic nodded with an unhappy look, though the gathering crowd seemed to be making her uncomfortable, even with the barrier up, "I… refused to let it happen. You were… changed by what would have been."

Ash looked down to Brock, who had calmed down by then, unable to imagine what could've happened if Sabrina hadn't intervened.

"…How?" he asked.

"You became… like I was," she answered, seeming to gather herself again at that statement, her eyes drifting down to the ground. "You shut out anybody that advised against the path you decided on—your new quest to hunt down those you knew in your heart to be responsible."

Ash thought about the presence that Sabrina had sensed in the dream, and then narrowed his eyes, "Team Rocket."

* * *

The assassin frowned at the view his screen was giving him. That barrier didn't seem penetrable by anything he had on him, and the window for an accident was long closed now. Acting now would only implicate Team Rocket.

His camera abruptly disconnecting caused his eyes to widen. The sound of teleportation rang out and he had a standard sidearm with a silencer pointed at the source only to find one of Team Rocket's teleport agents with a Venemoth on her shoulder and his camera in her hand. The deep tan was a telltale sign of an agent that did a lot of traveling in the open, unlike the typical covert operations of standard grunts, and she was holding up a black card with Team Rocket's emblem in her free hand.

She pocketed it once he lowered the weapon, "The Boss wants to see you, Proton. Now."

* * *

"You mean Ash just left to fight Team Rocket singlehandedly?" Misty asked incredulously.

Sabrina turned to her, "You were the first one he abandoned when you believed his friend's death was an honest accident." She looked down again, "He had… help in his new path, a majority of his Pokémon stayed and there were other people that followed him. But I saw his eyes. They shocked me awake last night."

Ash regarded her silently as the green-haired girl looked at him to continue, "You're… a light of hope. I couldn't let you fall into the same pit of hatred that I was in."

At length, he nodded, "Thanks for saving Brock. I can't imagine losing him."

"And thank you for looking out for Ash," the breeder added as he stood up.

Sabrina nodded back before noticing the Pallet Trainer's bandaged hands. Looking back to his eyes and then the hands, she seemed to be hesitating to reach forward before Ash caught on and offered one of his hands to her, thinking she wanted a handshake.

The psychic gently grabbed his hand with both of hers and a golden glimmer surrounded the damaged palm, traveling along his arms and shoulders to the other hand. Ash's eyes widened, and she abruptly let go before teleporting away, the force field dome fading in an instant without her to sustain it.

While he looked down at his hand and started unraveling the bandages on it, Misty walked around the small crowd gathered and aggressively waved them away, "Hey, this isn't a show! Move it or lose it!" The people quickly left in the face of her threatening tone.

Brock looked as his friend uncovered one of his hands and saw that the skin was perfectly healed, as if it'd never been injured.

"Amazing," the Pewter Leader marveled. "Psychic powers can heal others, too."

Ash clenched the hand to test it, and then elbowed Brock slightly in the ribs. When he had the breeder's attention, he said, "Please don't ever try to do that again. Save yourself and trust me to look out for _myself_. That's what I'm training for."

"You'd have done the same in his position," Misty pointed out as she returned from clearing out the people listening in.

Ash glared at her, "That's different."

"Is it really?" she challenged. "You lay your life on the line for others pretty often; why isn't he allowed to do the same?"

"Because- Because…" Ash started, but couldn't seem to work out what to say.

Misty stepped closer, "Is it because you're a stronger Trainer?"

"No, that's not it," he replied in a conflicted tone. Pikachu looked at him in concern.

"Because you think luck will keep you alive?"

He looked down with the bill of his hat covering his eyes as she approached, "No…!"

"Both of you have family waiting for you at home, so that can't be the reason," Misty said, shooting down the point before he could think to say it. Pikachu was close to firing a warning shot at her since she was clearly distressing his Trainer. She was practically in his face, but didn't look underneath the cap to make eye contact, "Answer the question."

"I _can't_ , okay?!" Ash answered while still looking to the ground.

The redhead grabbed the brim of his hat, lifting it slightly as she continued in a gentler tone, "Then don't answer the question, because you know how Brock felt when he tried to save us." Ash's gaze darted to her in surprise, and she continued evenly, "If you're going to watch out for him, he'll watch out for you. That's how friendship works, especially one as close as you two share."

Brock stared at his fellow Gym Leader in surprise. While a far more blunt way than he would use, she essentially tore through the wall Ash put up to gently address the center of the issue.

Pikachu hesitantly lowered his hand, the Lightning Arrow's electricity dispersing back to the rest of his body.

Deciding to step in, Brock added, "She's right, Ash. We're here to support each other."

Ash looked between the two of them before nodding with a sigh, seeming like he was resigned to the fact they wouldn't be staying out of harm's way.

"Now, come on," Misty said, pushing the bill of Ash's had down over his eyes before turning to lead the way. "Somebody around here has to have heard about Fuchsia Gym."

The Pallet Trainer straightened his hat with a slightly annoyed look and then followed along with Brock.

* * *

Three simple knocks on his door let Giovanni know that Proton had arrived. The teal-haired teen was the only one who knocked directly instead of being sent in by Matori.

"Enter."

The well-oiled hinges made no sound as the doorknob turned and his assassin let himself in before closing the door behind him. Taking measured steps forward, he stopped and stood at attention roughly a yard from the leader's desk. He was back in his regular uniform, his city camouflage not needed in the headquarters.

A silence stretched between them for a moment before Giovanni let out a heavy sigh and pressed a button under his desk, "Proton, have a seat."

A square comprised of four tiles slid into the floor between them, moving aside to allow a metal panel to come up with a simple wooden chair bolted to the surface. He only had one since Proton was the only one who'd ever used it. All the other agents saw him as a venerable leader and were more than glad to stand in his presence, but the agent before him was special and was allowed to be seated, even if none of the others knew.

The teal-haired agent moved to the chair and sat down with his hands folded in his lap, seeming lost in memories for a bare moment before focusing back on Giovanni.

"My boy, what is your opinion on this Trainer, Ash Ketchum?" the leader asked in a more gentle voice than he used with anybody else. "I already figured out where you disappeared to and why, even though I'm sure you wouldn't deny it."

Proton's eyes turned to look at the desk between them as they narrowed in slight distaste, "Our agents are improving now due to the threat he represents and the increased bravery of the average Trainers. I feel we have gotten all the improvement we're going to get out of him. Any further and he might become a legitimate problem to our organization, one that I wished to resolve while it's still small."

"And the fact that it was nearly a Gym Leader that met a tragic end?"

"Nobody would be able to link it to us."

Giovanni shook his head, "Proton, you are a good agent, and have made great strides since our first meeting, but still have much to learn about human nature."

The assassin's eyes met his leader's own, silently asking for elaboration since he was sure a lesson would follow.

"While I admire your initiative and attempt to look out for the best interests of the organization, and the covert methods you attempted to employ, you still acted rashly," he chastised in an even tone. "As far as the public is aware, Team Rocket is primarily a band of thieves operating on the black market, not revolutionaries. It is that reputation that keeps Gym Leaders in their cities and even higher authorities off our back."

The man sat back in his chair, "I understand that you remember this, but let us imagine that you managed to kill the boy. There's still that potential resistance to consider. His death would have the child they revere elevated to martyrdom, making them all the more dangerous. It wouldn't matter that there was no proof; they would always suspect Team Rocket since he's publically known to be fighting against us. To say nothing of the threat they would pose with the anguished boy actively leading them after the loss of his dearest friend."

Looking him in the eye, he said, "Right now we are a thorn in the continent, hiding an infection that is our vast intelligence network. If the resistance stopped paying heed to consequences in the name of their fallen idol, we would be dealing with a potential army that doesn't fear death. Not only would the possible lethal force required to deal with them make the League come down on us even harder, they might actually force some of our end goals or trump cards to be revealed. The existing government would then stop at nothing to burn us away. You know that we walk a delicate line to speed our eventual takeover, correct?"

Proton nodded, knowing about Giovanni's ultimate plan of taking over the world as everybody else in the organization did.

"However, your actions have caused a card to slip from the opposing side's proverbial hand," the leader granted in consolation. "While I doubt that she's involved directly with any resistance, having such a powerful psychic in the boy's corner is… troublesome."

Giovanni's gaze hardened in warning, "You cannot act against her. While Sabrina being a public figure presents its own problems for assassination, it would be virtually impossible. If she somehow foresaw the accident that might have claimed Ash or his friend's life, any attempt on hers would be anticipated and stopped. Worse, you could get caught."

"And a majority of our secrets along with my previous targets will be revealed," Proton replied.

Gaze softening, the leader said, "And you would be executed for carrying out those missions. Remember that you are more than an assassin; you are also my son in all but blood."

The teal-haired agent nodded after a brief pause, "I know. I'll never forget that. I want your dream to become a reality."

"And I wish for you to be standing beside me when it does," Giovanni added. After receiving another nod, he pressed the button under his desk again, prompting Proton to stand again. "Of course, there's still the matter of your acting without orders. You shall be docked half of your teaching pay for three months."

"Understood, sir," Proton replied respectfully, not caring about such a thing. He knew the leader would use the extra money well.

"Dismissed."

* * *

After two days of digging around for information, the Trainer trio finally managed to find a lead on Fuchsia Gym, an old man mentioning that it was among the small mountain range northeast of Marché City. Not that Ash or Misty had complained about having a place to stay while they trained their Pokémon. As they walked, Ash had his new gloves on, black leather all around with soft felt fabric on the palms and undersides of the fingers for handling Pokemon. He'd cut the majority of the finger ends off himself with Brock's tailoring shears as a point of preference. He believed that soft fabric couldn't make up for actual contact with the Pokémon you were handling; it's why his first pair of gloves had been fingerless as well.

While the Pallet Trainer was in the dark about what Misty had done for her own training, he had worked with Muk in a small parking lot behind the Pokémon Center. Focusing on developing a fighting style for his newest Pokémon, Ash had managed to begin training Muk to use his sludge body and other natural abilities to his advantage.

He also switched out Charmeleon for Magnemite, managing to hold the mechanical Pokémon away from Pikachu long enough to get its attention and establish some ground rules. The foremost was to control itself around Pikachu since they would likely be fighting dangerous criminals. If it latched onto him in the middle of a battle, he and anybody that went to help them would be in danger.

That seemed to snap the Magnet Pokémon out of its infatuation for the time being. As an afterthought, Ash had explained that a particular trio in Team Rocket was looking to take Pikachu for themselves. Apparently, Magnemite was irked at that thought since electricity sparked among its magnets, even though its eye panel remained neutral. While it still followed Pikachu very often and seemed to enjoy being close to him during downtime, the mechanical Pokémon took training very seriously from then on.

On that note, Ash wasn't really sure what to call Magnemite. The Pokedex explained that the Magnet Pokémon as a whole didn't have much physical difference from each other, being mechanical and thus agender. He wanted to say a girl since it seemed to be, for lack of a better word, attracted to Pikachu. Then again, if it was just because of his electricity, Magnemite could easily be a boy in mind too. Like a kid that discovered their favorite treat, since the Magnet Pokémon seemed to live off electricity even if it could choose whether to fire it back or absorb it.

He'd tried asking if Magnemite was a boy or a girl, but Drowzee indicated that the mechanical Pokémon was completely clueless about the concept of two genders. Since his question had gotten it curious, the young boy wasn't sure what to do about it, and didn't want to tell Magnemite how to live its life. He decided to say that it could ask the rest of the team next time it was at Professor Oak's and decide later while making a mental note to call his mom for advice on the matter that evening.

 _That_ had been a discussion that left him feeling embarrassed since Delia had insisted on explaining everything in regards to gender identity in contrast to what people were born with. She had said that if he was out in the world he might encounter somebody that identifies differently from their birth gender – or non-binary – and he should know so that he didn't judge or say something thoughtless.

He was brought back to the present when Brock took out his topographical map, saying, "That old man wasn't very helpful. According to this map, there are mountains spread out in all directions from here. Fuchsia Gym could be _anywhere_ among them."

"Ugh, don't tell me we're lost _again_ ," Misty complained.

The breeder nodded without looking up from the paper, "O-kay. I won't tell you."

"Good news is that we just left a city back there," Ash commented. "We can always go back to rest or resupply between checking the mountains."

Brock rolled up his map and put it away, "That's true. Well then, no time like the present. Where should we start?"

Misty sighed, "Well, if we're going by our gut, let's just keep going northeast until we reach the center of the mountain range and fan out from there."

"Good idea," the Pewter Leader replied. "I _did_ see a road on the map; we should pass it by on our way over."

"Let's find that road and hit it, then," Ash said with a laugh as he started moving forward. Misty sighed at the bad joke while the two Leaders followed him.

Before they could get far, though, an explosion rocked the ground under their feet, causing Ash to dash forward with Pikachu at his heels once it settled down, completely serious now at the sign of trouble.

"Hey, wait for us!" Brock called as he and Misty struggled to keep up with him. The latter nearly tripped once another blast went off, but the Pewter Leader grabbed her hand to help her stay on her feet and keep running.

Up ahead, Ash came out of the foliage to a dirt road weaving between two shallow cliffs, one of which he stood on. Down below, large trucks laden with heavy items under black tarp drove by on the road, but the Pallet Trainer mostly ignored them, looking around for any signs of an attack. Brock and Misty caught up a moment later, not overly tired out since the distance was short compared to the last time Ash ran ahead of them.

Another explosion caused the trio to turn towards some higher cliffs in the distance where construction was going on, but there didn't seem to be any sign of Team Rocket. Soon after, though, the road suddenly caved under the front truck, causing it to tip sideways as it sank into the earth, causing a pile-up of the other trucks while the vehicles themselves remained largely intact.

"What a wreck!" Misty said.

Brock looked as the drivers of the vehicles managed to climb out of windows to get to safety, seeming largely used to the experience, "What could've caused this?"

Pikachu's ears perked up, and Ash noticed before listening carefully, "Shh… You hear that?"

A multi-voiced, high-pitched chant soon became more and more audible to the group, "Diglett-Dig-Diglett-Dig-Diglett-Dig-Diglett-Dig~!"

A small patch of earth pushed apart in front of them and a tiny cylindrical head popped out of the ground. It had brown fur with a pink nose and tiny black eyes, the rest of its body hidden beneath the ground.

"Diglett!" it greeted.

Pikachu and Ash moved forward, the Trainer taking a knee to get a closer look at the tiny Pokémon.

"Hey there, little fella," he said. "Do you know what's going on here?"

The Pokémon simply beamed in a similar manner to Tentacool and Kingler with another "Diglett!" before sinking back into the ground, leaving the hole behind.

While the various drivers walked back to the construction site, a bearded man in light blue coveralls with boots and a hard hat came out of the formerly frontmost vehicle last, falling to his knees and pounding the ground with his fist as he cried out in a thick accent, "I just can't take eet anymooore!"

Brock and Misty slid down the cliff to go to him with Ash following close behind, holding Pikachu on his shoulder.

"Are you alright, sir?" Brock asked.

The man seemed to bring himself under control slightly, but still raged to the sky, "Eet's the Deeglett! They're destroying everything!"

"The… Diglett?" Misty asked in a perplexed tone.

Pointing, he shouted, "See, zey're right over zere!"

A distance away, several Diglett were popping in and out of the ground, singing the same chant as before.

"Aw, they're so cute!" Misty lightly squealed.

The construction worker reared up beside her, "You sink zey're _cute_ , do you?!" He pointed to the construction site, "Sanks to zem, we can't finish building zat dam!" He gnawed on his shirt before slapping himself repeatedly on his hardhat, "I _hate_ Deeglet! I _HATE_ ZEM!"

Pursing his lips, Ash took out his Pokédex and said, "Dexter, Diglett."

 ** _"Diglett, the Mole Pokémon. Diglett love to create underground tunnel systems and can move through the earth as easily as fish swim through water."_**

Another blast went off and Brock looked to see rocks falling from the side of the cliff, "Is that blasting part of building a dam?"

"YES, ZE BLASTING EES PART OF BUILDING A DAM!" the man shouted. "But we can't get supplies through because of Deeglett!"

"Pokémon usually have a reason behind what they do," Ash replied. "Did you try talking to them?"

The worker turned to him furiously, "Zey are a menace to ze construction of ze Giva Dam! You expect zere to be _negotiations_?"

The Pallet Trainer was unfazed, "Yes. They live here, and whether it's the blasting or something else, they clearly don't want the dam to go up. I'll talk to 'em; if there's really no reason for them to be doing this, then I'll clear the Diglett out myself. How 'bout that?"

"We have already come up weeth a plan to deal weeth ze Deeglett," the man replied. "We're calling for any able Pokémon Trainer who's traveling through ze area. Someone weeth real Pokémon know-how to help us get reed of ze Deeglet."

"No. _That's_ not a good idea," Ash warned. "I don't know if you heard about it all the way out here, but the last time a large group of Pokémon got pushed into a corner, it didn't go so well for Hutber Port. Give me a chance to talk to them, and I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable-"

The sound of brakes screeching cut him off and the group turned to see four buses with a red convertible car at the front parked on the road. A spiky-haired brunet boy with a blue long-sleeve shirt and dark blue pants with a green and yellow necklace stood up on the passenger seat with one foot on the dashboard. A woman with sunglasses drove the car while six girls in various outfits sat in two rows of back seats. Ash recognized some of them as Gary's fan club, but only knew three of them; his one-time rival must have picked up more.

"The Pokémon Trainers have arrived!" the boy announced.

"Gary," Ash idly noted.

Pikachu tilted his head, "[So _that's_ Gary.]" He looked him up and down before letting out an unimpressed snort, "[Looks like _he_ has a high opinion of himself.]"

Gary seemed to notice him at the same time, "Huh? Who's-" Then he smirked, "Well, if isn't little Ash from Pallet Town. What are you doing here? Must be an unlucky coincidence; only the _best_ were invited." The brunet Pallet Trainer held a hand to his chest, "Like me, Gary Oak, the number one Trainer!"

He then smugly pointed at Ash, "You're fourth. Fourth in leaving home, but when it comes to Pokémon training, you're dead last."

Towards the beginning of his journey, Ash would've been baited into an argument or fallen into feelings of inadequacy at Gary's taunts. But hearing it after all he'd gone through on his Pokémon journey, it just sounded so childish. It didn't escape Ash's notice, either, that he considered Gary so when they were around the same age. But he didn't dwell on it.

He sighed and shook his head, "Gary, believe it or not, I have more important things to worry about than your little contest. I have some Digletts to talk to."

Gary blinked in surprise as Ash turned around and moved to leave. He didn't get far before the brunet jumped out of his car and caught up to grab his shoulder and turn him around. By now, the other Trainers were starting to disembark from the buses and noticed the confrontation.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" he challenged as he held up a Poké Ball. "I could trash you any day of the week!"

Ash simply shrugged apathetically, "Maybe, maybe not. I don't really care anymore. It may surprise you, but the world doesn't revolve around Gary Oak."

The brunet's fan club gasped at the blatant disrespect to their idol while some of the crowd started whispering among themselves as they recognized Ash.

Gary grabbed his fellow Pallet Trainer by the front of his shirt, "Oh yeah? Let's see you put your money where your mouth is, Ashy-boy! I challenge you to a three-on-three Pokémon battle, right here, right now!"

"Don't you have that job to get to?" Ash asked flatly with a raised eyebrow.

The slightly older Trainer scoffed and shoved him back with a smirk before turning away to take his own spot, "It can wait the few minutes this'll take."

He jumped slightly when a slight zap hit his back and glanced back to find Ash walking to his own spot, Pikachu glaring at him from the Trainer's shoulder. Taunts and insults were meaningless coming from such an arrogant person, but the Electric-type wouldn't tolerate a physical attack on Ash.

Gary glared back, but continued his course while muttering, "Hmph, guess _losers_ stick together."

While his fan club started cheering for his victory, some in the crowd frowned at the disrespectful showing towards a person they recognized as a hero. They kept quiet at the moment, though, since they really wanted to see Ash battle in person.

Meanwhile, the construction worker was trying to get the crowd's attention to move them to the construction site for their assignment, but none of them paid him any mind.

"Can we _please_ get back to ze business at hand?!" he called, holding up fliers for a resort that would be built into the dam. "We need zose Deeglett gone! Remember our offer: a week's stay at our resort upon completion!"

An arm soon reached out and yanked him into the group before wrapping around his shoulders. The worker grunted in surprise before looking down at the intricate river rapids tattoo along the entire bare limb.

"Shh…" an excited voice whispered in his ear. "This is gonna be good, and I'm gonna see if the kid lives up to his hype. Don't be a wet blanket."

The black-haired Trainer took out his Pokédex and started shuffling around his team. Meanwhile, Gary laughed, "I have to say, I'm impressed. I didn't think you'd manage to catch more than six Pokémon."

Ash ignored him and made his choice for which three he wanted to use in this battle, sending Magnemite and Primeape back to bring in the two he wanted. While he felt confident he could likely win with ease using Pidgeot, Pikachu, Primeape, Kingler, or possibly even Muk with the right strategy, he wanted to save his heavy hitters' strength. Such a large group of Trainers had probably caught the eye of Team Rocket and it had been a while since their last attack.

He might've been able to spare Muk, since he could afford to give him some more training before pitting him against Team Rocket. But even with the little he had taught the Sludge Pokémon, he'd still be a great ace against groups of enemy Pokémon.

Ash caught the new spheres and asked, "Are substitutions allowed?"

"No," Gary replied. "You stick to your guns and fight with what you call out."

"All right. Brock, if you'd ref?"

The breeder nodded and moved to stand between the two at the side.

"Gary, Gary, he's our man!" the fangirls cheered behind Gary. "If he can't do it, no one can!"

Misty noticed that Ash didn't turn his hat back and guessed that he wasn't going to go all out. But she looked at Gary's fan club cheering (with _pompoms_ , even) and decided that he wasn't worth taking seriously.

"Now everyone here can see the top Pokémon Trainer in action!" Gary boasted while holding up a Poké Ball. "This should be enough for you. Go!"

The Pokémon emerged, forming a quadrupedal Pokémon with light purple skin and a sharp horn on its head. It had claws on its feet for traction and spines along its back and on the edges of its ears, which were teal on the inside. Its skin also seemed somewhat rough and it had several darker patches on its skin.

"A Nidorino," Ash muttered, remembering a League match he'd seen the night before meeting Pikachu, where one had been used in battle against a Gengar. He took out his Pokédex and pointed it to get more information since he didn't know much besides the name. A ping later, Dexter spoke up.

 ** _"Nidorino, the Poison Pin Pokémon. The evolved form of the male Nidoran. An aggressive Pokémon that is quick to attack. The horn on its head secretes powerful venom."_**

Ash closed the device and already knew what Pokémon he was going to choose. He took the Poké Ball from his belt and enlarged it, "I choose you, Rattata!"

Gary laughed obnoxiously as the Mouse Pokémon materialized before his own, "Ha-ha-ha-ha! Such a puny Pokémon suits you, Ash!"

Brock raised both of his hands, "Begin!"

"Quick Fang!" Ash commanded.

Moving faster than Nidorino could keep up with, Rattata darted inside his guard with glowing teeth and carved a shallow cut in his side before moving away again to dodge the hasty kick the Poison-type had launched to counter.

"What the-?!" Gary muttered. He took out his own Pokédex, "Deidra, Quick Fang."

 ** _"No move entry found."_**

"Keep it up, Rattata," Ash called. "Stick and move!"

The brunet Trainer growled as his fan club gasped at Nidorino taking another hit and being too slow to stab Rattata with his horn. Her small size didn't help his aim either.

"Nidorino, Swift attack!"

"Shoot 'em down with _your_ Swift, Rattata."

While the two Pokémon were in a deadlock since Rattata was forced to slow down to steer her stars to intercept, though she was still too far away for Nidorino to take advantage. Still, it bought time, and Gary thought hard about the moves he'd taught the Poison-type. He smirked as he came up with a plan of attack.

"Poison Sting!"

Nidorino turned while leaning to his side, shooting multiple white needles from the spines on his back straight at Rattata. With the stars no longer a threat, Rattata was free to dodge out of the way and approach Nidorino again as she wove her way through the barrage.

'Perfect!' Gary thought before calling to his Pokémon again. "Water Gun the ground around you!"

Being a loyal Pokémon, Nidorino didn't waste time questioning why and did so, reducing the dirt road beneath and around his feet to a muddy surface that spread as the water did. Rattata started slipping on the muck and was still for the moment as she tried to get her feet under her.

"Horn Attack!"

Nidorino was able to navigate the mud easier since his feet sank into the inch-deep quagmire. It slowed him down slightly, but he could move, unlike Rattata who was too light and kept slipping. Lowering his head, he speared Rattata, making sure to secrete some venom from the tip to make the hit count before the impact knocked the tiny Pokémon away.

"Ha!" Gary triumphantly laughed as the Mouse Pokémon tumbled along the ground with her fall. Meanwhile, his fangirls started cheering again as he said, "Looks like your rat can't stand up to real strength."

Rattata stood up again with little difficulty, a purple blush appearing before the red aura of Guts flared up. But before Ash could order another attack, she seemed to smirk as if she'd been waiting for her ability to activate. She concentrated for a brief moment before flaring white with evolution, the light tinted pink with her aura over it.

"What?!" the brunet Trainer shouted in disbelief.

Ash watched in fascination, wondering how long Rattata had been holding back evolving if she could trigger it at will. The Mouse Pokémon grew in size, dense fur bristling outward from her body, covering her limbs to the point that her arms and legs seemed to grow shorter in proportion. Her ears turned jagged at the edges and her tail uncurled at the end before growing in length. The last trait to change was that her mouth opened wide as her front teeth lengthened dramatically, joined by another pair sprouting from the lower jaw.

At that point, the aura of Guts seemed to absorb into her body, the tint fading until the light was white again. Once the light went out, she completed her transformation into Raticate, standing with tawny fur with a paler color on her belly and two sets of three whiskers. She seemed jittery and stood up to clench her more pronounced three-fingered hands before raising a foot and stomping it into the ground, leaving a shallow but definitive footprint in the dirt road. **(1)**

Making a note to get an explanation from his Pokémon later, since her actions seemed far too deliberate to be coincidence, Ash pointed forward regardless, "Raticate, burrow underground."

She did so, clearing the earth away far faster than before as she disappeared down the tunnel. Nidorino looked around helplessly and Gary growled since he didn't have a counter to that. His Pokémon didn't have enough power to learn Earthquake yet.

"Now, Hyper Fang!" Ash called, speaking up to be heard underground.

The mud underneath the Poison-type's feet split apart and Raticate appeared with her glowing teeth biting into his underside. The Mouse Pokémon emerged from the hole with her opponent held up in her jaws before tossing him aside. Nidorino struggled to get up before falling back to the ground from the pain in his abdomen.

Gary gawked before frowning and holding his Poké Ball forward, "Nidorino, return!" He exchanged the Poké Ball for another one from the belt underneath his untucked shirt, "I guess even a loser like you could have one decent Pokémon after all this time. But it won't stand a chance against this! Haunter, go!"

The Ghost Pokémon appeared in mid-air, staring down Raticate, who fearlessly glared back.

"Huh," Ash muttered as he took out his Pokédex. "Now where did you get that?" He knew that the Gengar from Lavender Town would never tolerate his other friend being taken, so it had to be a different Haunter.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Gary sneered.

 ** _"Haunter, a Ghost Pokémon. After evolving from Gastly, it can learn Dream Eater and other psychic attacks."_**

"Haunter, Hypnosis!"

"Raticate, eyes shut."

With the Mouse Pokémon's eyes closed, the sight-based hypnotic waves had absolutely no effect, causing both Gary and his Pokémon to grunt in frustration.

"How stupid can you get?" the brunet Trainer asked. "Having your Pokémon close its eyes just makes them helpless."

"[I don't need to see him,]" Raticate muttered to herself while taking a few quick sniffs of the air. She then dashed towards Haunter with her eyes still shut and countered with a Super Fang aimed for his head. Haunter brought his hand between them to intercept and cried out in pain as the teeth sank into the floating limb. Around the caught hand, she continued, "[I could smell the rot coming from your body since you came out.]"

"How?!" Gary demanded while pointing his Pokédex forward. "Normal-type attacks shouldn't be able to hit Haunter!"

 ** _"The Rattata line's second signature move: Super Fang. Also known as the Fang of Hatred, it will pierce any defense to strike damage to its target."_** **(2)**

Hearing that, Ash thought about the Ghost-type moves he'd read up on using Dexter, remembering that they were effective against other ghosts.

'Most of those moves seem fueled by fear and darkness, so maybe hatred is enough to hit them too,' he mused.

"Haunter, Thunderbolt!" Gary commanded.

The Ghost-type raised his free hand to fire bolts from the finger tips, but Raticate let him go and dropped to the ground to dodge, going off sound to dodge away before opening her eyes and keeping them to the ground so that Haunter couldn't get her with Hypnosis.

As she kept dodging blasts of electricity, she thought about how to counter. While she could pick out the ghost's position whether or not he was invisible, he knew that Super Fang could get him now, so he'd be wary of it. Then the Mouse Pokémon got an idea from constantly keeping her eyes on the ground.

'I can smell him, but he still needs to see me to aim. If Nidorino could use the terrain, so can I!'

Rapidly pawing at the ground with Dig, she loosened up a patch of earth and ground it up to make it a hole filled with a pile of fine dust that started to spread across the ground from the flurry of activity. Once it was ready, Raticate jumped up and stomped down with both feet to send the substance into the air in a cloud that covered a majority of the area between Ash and Gary, enveloping both Pokémon. From living among dirt and airborne dust for all her life, she didn't have to worry about it affecting her nose.

Gary called, "Haunter, keep your eyes-"

"Haaaaunt!" the Ghost Pokémon cried out again from inside the dust cloud.

"-open…" he finished in an annoyed grumble.

By the time the dust settled, Raticate was carrying the unconscious Ghost-type between her teeth, multiple bite marks across his form. Evidently she'd jumped him and repeatedly gnawed with Super Fang until he went down. The Mouse Pokémon set him down and stepped aside to allow Gary to recall his Pokémon.

Once he did so, the brunet turned to his fangirls. Some were whispering anxiously while others appeared to be muttering fervently in response. He cleared his throat and called, "Girls, one of you get my backpack from the car."

Startled out of their discussion, one of them ran to the convertible, where the driver grabbed it from the back seat and handed it to her. Once she brought it to Gary, who thanked her with a charming smile that had her blush and swoon slightly, he turned back to Ash while taking his next Poké Ball from his belt.

"I never thought I'd have to use this in the middle of a match, least of all against you, Ash," he started before expanding his Poké Ball. "But playtime's over. Prepare to meet one of my strongest Pokémon! Go, Growlithe!"

As the Pokémon materialized, Gary hurriedly opened and rifled through his backpack. The Growlithe appeared to be a canine Pokémon with orange, black-striped fur along most of its body with cream-colored fur over its chest, belly, tail, muzzle and the top of its head. The fur over its chest and tail was especially bushy and the top portion appeared naturally styled into a flame-shaped tuft. It had gray eyes with black pupils and two claws on its forepaws.

Ash took out his Pokédex to analyze the unfamiliar Pokémon.

 ** _"Growlithe, a Puppy Pokémon of pleasant demeanor and great diligence. It drives enemies away with barks and bites."_** Ash noticed the color and checked the Pokémon's type, ** _"Growlithe has characteristics of a Fire-type Pokémon."_**

"Growlithe, it's time!" Gary called while pulling out a shiny orange stone with iridescent flame patterns on it. Ash recognized it from the fourth floor of the Celadon Department Store and his eyes widened as he remembered what the clerk had told him about the special stones they sold.

The brunet Pallet Trainer tossed the stone towards Growlithe, his Pokémon seeming to anticipate this and eagerly catching the stone in his mouth, flashing white immediately afterwards as the stone remained in his jaws.

Ash gasped while Raticate narrowed her eyes warily as the dog grew immensely in size, becoming taller and larger while his limbs built up in musculature. The tuft of fur on the top grew into a mane of cream-colored hair and the tail on his rear became long and with the fur drooping about halfway before the end fanned back with the split ends making it appear jagged. Flame-like fur shapes grew on the backs of his four legs as well. Once the glow faded, his now streamlined fur had more intimidating patterns in black, the stripes appearing jagged and angling in different directions upon his back and sides. The used stone had turned into a dull brown color and dropped out of the evolved Pokémon's mouth. Arcanine let out a fierce growl that Raticate returned with equal vigor, refusing to be cowed.

Ash pointed his Pokédex forward again, "What's that?"

 ** _"Arcanine, the Legendary Pokémon. Evolved from Growlithe with the use of a Fire Stone. Arcanine is known for its bravery and fierce loyalty, along with its majestic cry."_**

"Open up with a Take Down, Arcanine!"

Ash called out, "Double Team, Raticate!"

As the Legendary Pokémon charged forward and Raticate blurred into several copies of herself, Gary's fangirls were cheering anew, "Let's go, Gary! Let's go! Yeah, yeah!"

Looking around at the afterimages, Arcanine glanced back at Gary for apparent permission and the Trainer nodded and rooted his feet to the ground while waving for his cheerleaders to move back, "Do it."

Rearing his head skyward, Arcanine howled to the heavens, wind starting to pick up before it formed a mid-sized cyclone around him, using Dragon Rage. Ash and Gary managed to stand their ground with a little difficulty, the former holding Pikachu in his arm, but Raticate was pulled in and thrown into the air. The lion-like dog then dispersed the wind attack and shot a Flamethrower at the falling Mouse Pokémon. Once it was done, he ran forward and pounced, holding one paw over her burnt body since she was still conscious.

"Raticate, return," Ash called, the beam connecting a moment later and allowing Arcanine to rest his foreleg back on the ground, knowing that the Normal-type was out of the battle. As he switched the ball for another one he said, "Not bad, Gary. You're certainly a good Trainer, better than I thought you'd be with how much you brag."

The other Pallet Trainer simply remained silent, watching for the next Pokémon Ash would call out.

Ash smiled, feeling excited about a battle for the first time in a while, "But that doesn't mean I'm going to give up. Charmeleon, I choose you!" After the Flame Pokémon appeared, he added, "Show 'em what you're made of."

Pikachu held up a fist, "[You can do this!]"

Charmeleon snorted smoke out of his nostrils as he regarded his opponent. Arcanine stood about twice as tall as him, even on all fours, and was likely far faster than him. He knew it would be a hard battle.

'I could lose,' the Fire-type internally noted. Then he sneered and spat out a small gout of flame towards the Legendary Pokémon in challenge before his tail flame turned blue.

"What the…?" Gary held his Pokédex forward as he noticed the change of color.

Charmeleon paid it no mind as he narrowed his eyes in thought while readying his strategy for battle. Memories of his time together with Ash and the team passed through his mind in the background. His Trainer had always had his back since the day they met and genuinely cared for each and every one of his Pokémon. Looking back, it was ridiculous that he ever even _thought_ Ash would abandon him unless he evolved.

'So what if I lose?' he asked himself as the adrenaline started burning through his veins. Although he reined in the urge to charge in blindly that seemed to accompany the power boost as he vowed, 'I sure won't go down _easy_!'

"Arcanine, Take Down!" Gary ordered after reading up on Charmeleon's tail flame.

The Legendary Pokémon charged forward at high speed, only for Charmeleon to burrow underground the moment the command was issued. Arcanine skidded to a stop and flitted to random locations while looking around for any signs of the Flame Pokémon emerging.

Once a slim appendage poked out of the ground, Arcanine pounced on it while biting down, only to pull up a tree root that had the thick end cleanly cut. Gary's Pokémon only had time to look surprised before Charmeleon emerged and punched him in the gut, causing the Legendary Pokémon to drop the root with a gasp.

"Roll to the side and break away!" Gary hurriedly called. Arcanine did so and got back to his feet before Charmeleon could scratch him with Slash.

Ash nodded, "Great idea using a decoy, Charmeleon."

Charmeleon grunted in acknowledgment, but didn't take his eyes off his opponent as he took a deep breath and shot out a grey cloud of smoke through his mouth, reminiscent of the short bursts he snorted through his nostrils. Arcanine jumped back to avoid getting caught in it as it fully enveloped Charmeleon and the area between them.

"I'm not letting your Pokémon hide again!" the brunet Pallet Trainer declared. "Arcanine, sweep that smoke away with a Roar!"

Taking a deep breath, the canine Pokémon let out a roar so powerful that it displaced the air in a large cone and blew away the smoke, revealing a hole in the ground.

"Arcanine, send your strongest Flamethrower down the hole!" Gary ordered.

Rushing forward in a burst of speed to avoid getting caught off guard again, flames started gathering in Arcanine's mouth as he skidded to a stop beside the hole and shot a powerful stream of burning hot fire down.

A few seconds later, fire burst from the ground a distance away as Charmeleon rolled out of it with slight burns over his body. Concentrated heat could still hurt him, despite his resistance.

Arcanine didn't waste an instant and pounced on the reptilian Fire-type, pinning both of his arms down. Charmeleon craned his neck and bit down on one of the forelegs, making Arcanine wince, but keep his grip.

Ash's Pokémon let go a moment to call, "[Don't you _dare_ call me out of this battle, Ash!]" Then he bit down again in the same area.

Hearing that and seeing that the black-haired Pallet Trainer didn't appear to have any intention of pulling Charmeleon out, Arcanine readied another Flamethrower. While he didn't believe there was any honor in attacking a pinned Pokémon, this one was particularly stubborn. And if he didn't knock him out soon, the bites would force him to let go from the pain.

Breathing a stream of fire directly on his downed opponent, Arcanine held it for several seconds as he didn't feel the teeth letting go as they tried to dig further into his leg.

He heard his Trainer mutter before shouting, "What's- Arcanine, stop!"

The Legendary Pokémon's eyes widened in surprise before he cut off the stream to see the other Fire-type with worse burns than before and a furious expression. Had he been able to look underneath his stomach, he would've seen that Charmeleon's blue flame had steadily been growing the entire time under his attack, now as large as the Flame Pokémon's body.

Charmeleon released his leg to start pushing with his arms again. "[You're _pissing me off_!]" he roared as he used his boosted strength to force Arcanine's paws off him and push him back, surging to his feet to land an enhanced Rock Smash to his rib cage.

Gary had his Pokédex out and cursed, "As I thought; it's Rage! Our attack made that Charmeleon stronger!"

Arcanine tried to move away as Ash's Pokémon rushed him with his tail flame still blazing hugely, but his injured leg protested the action, pain flaring up around the bite wound. Charmeleon caught up to him and began swinging his fists wildly at any area he could reach, dodging the paw swipes his opponent used in attempted retaliation.

"Arcanine, Bite!" Gary commanded, seeing no better option since it would be more effective than a fire attack.

But when the Legendary Pokémon lunged forward and sunk his teeth into Charmeleon's right shoulder, his mouth large enough to reach halfway down the smaller Pokémon's chest and back, the other Fire-type just took the opportunity to punch him in the side of the head with his left fist before hitting Arcanine in the throat as he'd seen Pidgeot do with his Clothesline Dash.

When he was released as his opponent gagged, Charmeleon ignored the slight blood running down his body and readied his claws while his opponent was stunned. Putting all his strength into it, he ran past and slashed along the lion-like dog's left side, drawing blood as Arcanine let out a low growl in pain.

The Flame Pokémon's tail flame went down as his Rage subsided, but still burnt blue as he turned around to face the larger Pokémon again, Arcanine doing likewise.

Gary let out a low groan before reluctantly calling, "Arcanine, get over here so that I can treat those injuries."

Ash blinked before speaking up, "Um, I'm pretty sure that using medicine during a battle is against the-"

"Shut it," the brunet Trainer interrupted irately as Arcanine limped over to him and he took out a bag of medicine that Ash didn't recognize along with a rubber glove that he put on. "Even if I beat your stupid Charmeleon, you have another Pokémon to use and Arcanine's in no shape to battle a fresh opponent, no matter what you planned to use."

He then took a pinch of what appeared to be white powder from the bag into his covered hand and blew it downward to disperse over Arcanine's injured leg before taking a larger handful and sprinkling it over each of the three slashes on the Legendary Pokémon's sides. The wounds closed up before Ash's eyes as the medicine absorbed into Arcanine's skin, astonishing the Pallet Trainer.

Gary then tied the bag and put it away, taking out a Potion instead, "Here, this should help numb those bruises."

His fangirls gaped in shock, "Gary… lost?"

"Now, now, ladies," he reassured in a cocky tone. "This was just a test to make sure that Ash was at least close to my level with his _strongest_ Pokémon. Next time, I won't go easy on him." The brunet Pallet Trainer remembered how they wailed inconsolably when he lost to that unofficial Gym Leader near Cerulean City, and he hated to see them cry.

This seemed to cheer them up, so Ash decided not to explain that he'd been holding back significantly as he treated Charmeleon's bite wound with a Super Potion, making the blood clot before he wrapped his chest and back with bandages. Not that he'd been planning to tell in the beginning, but now he had an extra reason. Who was he to tear apart the girls' hopes and dreams of Gary's invincibility?

Charmeleon, on the other hand, was tiredly snickering to himself while muttering, "[He thinks _I'm_ one of the strongest? Wouldn't he be in for a surprise if Arcanine is the best he has? Kingler or Primeape would pummel that overgrown dog easily. And I can think of at least half a dozen others off the top of my head that'd have more than a fair chance.]"

Ash turned his attention back to his Pokémon with a smile as he finished tying the bandages, "You were amazing out there, Charmeleon. Does that feel better?"

"[I'll live,]" the Fire-type nodded, happy that he'd made his Trainer proud.

Meanwhile, under the bravado he displayed to his cheerleaders as he returned Arcanine, Gary's mind was in a state of shock, rage and begrudging respect all at once towards his fellow Pallet Trainer.

'How in the name of Mew did Ash get so strong? He was one of the lowest graded passing students back in Trainers' School, and I can't see him sitting down to actually read and study up on Pokémon or train them seriously. He doesn't have the attention span for it; or at least he didn't. Did something happen to him?'

While following the construction worker that finally managed to break away from the crowd and begin directing them to the construction site since the battle was over, he thought over how the battle went.

'I lost, even if I pulled out early to save face. Heck, his Raticate was dominating the fight after evolving until I evolved Growlithe to overpower it because I thought it wouldn't be enough otherwise. If the rest of his Pokémon, however many he has, are anything like his Raticate and Charmeleon, I'm going to have to seriously step up my training once I have eight badges. I have six now, just two more and I can head back to Pallet Town to train up for the League. I won't let Ash pull ahead of me without fighting him every step of the way. Next time won't be such a one-sided match.'

Ash had recalled Charmeleon to use a bit of Potion on Raticate's burns when he saw a pair of legs in white pants standing near him. He looked up and saw a somewhat brutish looking teen with slicked back navy colored hair, a black shirt with mid-length sleeves that left his forearms exposed to show an intricate tattoo on one of them. A silver ship's steering wheel glinted in the sunlight as he looked down at him with interest.

The Pallet Trainer sighed and stood up, "Listen, if you want a battle, you're gonna have to wait until-"

"I ain't interested in battling you _now_ ," the navy-haired teen interrupted. Then his face changed to a grin that, with the color and style of his hair, made Ash think of a shark, "The name's Noah. You. Me. The Indigo Plateau. I can tell when somebody's holding back. If you're stronger than you showed in that battle, and half as good as I've heard, I'll see ya there."

While Noah had originally been planning to sneak back across the border to the Silver Conference in Johto after seeing if he could find any advantages or strategies to help his own battling, he found it much more interesting to stick around Kanto for the time being to battle Ash.

Meanwhile, the Pallet Trainer saw the anticipation in his eyes, something that reminded him of his rematch against Brock at the Pewter Gym—knowing the opponent was strong, but being determined to win. The feeling was contagious and Ash found himself looking to Pikachu with a smirk, the Electric-type sparking in excitement as well. He turned back to Noah and said, "It's a promise. We'll be there."

After returning Raticate, Ash moved on with Brock and Misty to find the construction worker speaking with a megaphone as he pointed to a giant banner depicting a Diglett crossed out hanging on the scaffolding behind him.

The Pallet Trainer rolled his eyes with a groan and walked around the crowd to the front, "I said that I'd talk to the Diglett and find out why they're doing this. Trying to fight them with their ability to burrow so fast will just cause more trouble."

"What know you of Pokémon, young man?" the bearded man asked angrily with his megaphone making Ash's ears ring.

The Pallet Trainer took a few steps forward and grabbed the amplifier before pushing it down so that the worker would stop shouting at him.

"More than you," he answered in a level tone. "I'm a Trainer, and I don't see you using any Pokémon to try dealing with the issue."

"He's right," Gary added as he stepped forth from the crowd. "Didn't you call us Trainers here because you _couldn't_ deal with it yourself?"

When the man growled and remained silent, the brunet turned to his fellow Pallet Trainer, "We'll try it your way first, Ashy-boy, but just because I want to get out of here to my next Gym as soon as possible. If you think you can wrap this up, then show us."

Ash expanded a Poké Ball from his belt without a word and called out Drowzee, the Hypnosis Pokémon glancing down at the ground below him with a surprised expression.

 _'Oh my. That's quite a lot of Pokémon down there.'_

"Can you read the situation from my mind?" his Trainer asked. "It'll be faster than explaining it all."

Drowzee didn't answer for a moment before communicating, _'I understand. So these Diglett must have some motivation and you want to hear them out before deciding whether or not to fight them.'_

Ash nodded, "If you could call one up, that'd be a great help."

"Telepathy, huh?" Gary guessed. When Ash looked at him curiously, he answered, "I have a Psychic-type too."

Seconds later, a Diglett emerged from the ground between their feet. The foreman looked ready to shout, but Pikachu pinned him with a glare from Ash's shoulder.

The black-haired Pallet Trainer squatted down to be closer to Diglett's level, "Hey, I heard that you're cutting off supplies from getting to this construction site. The last group of Pokémon that tried to stop a huge project had a pretty good reason for it. Drowzee here can translate, so do you feel like telling us if you won't show us?"

The Mole Pokémon looked back and forth between them before popping back into the ground where a chorus of Diglett voices echoed upward from the hole left behind. Soon, the Ground-type reappeared with several more popping up at intervals, making a trail up the shallow cliff and behind the construction site.

"Diglett!" the one closest to Ash said urgently while turning sideways to ask him to follow.

Nodding, the boy stood up again and turned to the foreman, "You're coming too. If they have a reason, you'll need to see it."

"You stay with the car, ladies," Gary called to his fangirls. "This shouldn't take long."

Ash remembered the crowd behind him and said, "You too, Misty, Brock. We're heading out right after this anyway."

"Why do we have to stay?" Misty asked in an irritated tone. "I want to see too."

"Don't _attack_ me about this Misty," the Pallet Trainer grumbled. "It's rude to _crowd_ people with your complaints, especially among mature _Trainers_."

While confused at his emphasis on the specific words, Misty was always a fan of riddles growing up and quickly deciphered the message Ash was trying to pass.

'Attack, crowd, Trainers,' she repeated in her head. 'Team Rocket might be attracted to this group.'

The redhead glanced at Brock, who seemed to be coming to the same conclusion. Ash was entrusting them to keep watch while he was gone.

"Fine, but hurry back," she replied sourly.

Ash nodded and followed the trail of Diglett, each of them going back underground as he passed by them. Gary followed close behind in interest, and the foreman was dragged along by the black-haired Pallet Trainer, surprised at the oddly strong grip the eleven-year-old had.

As the group moved further along at a light jog, they got deeper into the forest and began seeing other Diglett carrying either tree branches or thin saplings that hadn't had the chance to take root yet. The Mole Pokémon were chanting what was rapidly appearing to be their digging/working song, and a deeper set of voices chorused as well as the trail grew closer to the source.

"Diglett-Dig-Diglett-Dig~"

"Trio-Trio-Trio!"

When they reached a massive clearing, they saw a labyrinth of upturned earth with thin trees planted by the Diglett in tilled soil that bundles of three Diglett with more stoic expressions dug up. Looking further, Ash noticed that the trees grew larger outward from the clearing. They must've been planted before the ones before him. Various pairs of Diglett also carried stone bowls filled with mashed up rotten fruit before tunneling them underground beneath the trees and coming back up with empty bowls, using the decaying items as fertilizer.

Ash took out his Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon that were bunched close together.

 ** _"Dugtrio, the Mole Pokémon. The evolved form of Diglett. This Pokémon is able to burrow deep beneath the Earth's surface."_**

Turning to the last Diglett that had led them there, the Pallet Trainer said, "You have a beautiful home."

The Mole Pokémon beamed at him with a happy "Diglett!"

"Zis… Zis place used to be wasteland," the foreman commented in stunned awe. "Eet's how we got ze permit all zose years ago to build here before we spent ze time to gather materials, designs from architects, everysing we needed. If we finished ze dam, zis entire mountain forest would be covered with water…"

"And nothing would be able to live here, not just the Diglett and Dugtrio," Ash finished.

The man sighed, "Well, we waited years to come zis close; I suppose we can wait a few more to find a new place to build the Giva Dam. Zis project's cancelled."

Ash smiled at the foreman before an explosion blasted through the tranquility.

* * *

 **Cliffhanger! Sorry, but this chapter was getting way too long as it was. I'll do my best to have the next one out ASAP.**

 **Notes:**

 **1a. Rattata and Raticate's hidden ability is Hustle, which boosts power, but sacrifices accuracy, as portrayed by the shakes that Ash's Raticate experienced. It's a given since high adrenaline is the new norm for her. Given time to adjust, that weakness will likely be overcome, and accuracy is a whole different playing field compared to in the games.**

 **1b. Evolution is a tricky thing, the metamorphosis making the body extremely adaptable as it takes on a new form, as evidenced by the giant Tentacruel. Since Rattata waited until she was poisoned to evolve, her body basically accepted the strength boost of Guts as the new norm and adapted the body appropriately, also making changes to adjust to the poison in her at the time. Granted, this also means that she can't use Guts again since she's basically in a constant state of super strength now, and Toxic or any poison stronger than a Nidorino's, such as Toxic or Poison Fang, would still manage to poison her.**

 **2\. Super Fang used to be able to affect Ghost-types in the first generation. Considering its ability to always halve a Pokémon's remaining health and its Japanese name, Hatred Fang, there's no reason it shouldn't still be able to hit them. Ghost-types are weak against Dark-type attacks, which are basically regular attacks amped with sneakiness and/or malicious intent. In fact, given that Super Fang can even half a Steel-type or Rock-type Pokémon's health, it shouldn't even be classified as a Normal-type move. If anything, it should be a ?-type move since it operates outside of the type chart.**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


End file.
